(Picture of William G. Armstrong)

 

WILLIAM G. ARMSTRONG, one of the most progressive residents of Montgomery township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, is engaged very extensively in the raising of thoroughbred horses and in agricultural pursuits generally. He was born in the city of Philadelphia in 1860, being the son of William and Ann Jane (Trimble) Armstrong, who were both natives of Ireland, he born in county Antrim and she in county Fermanagh.

William Armstrong (father) came to America about 1850, locating first in Canada, but subsequently removing to Philadelphia, where he married Ann J. Trimble. He was a contractor and builder, and assisted in the erection of some of the most prominent public buildings in Philadelphia, among them the Fidelity Trust building, the Manhattan Life building, Episcopal hospital, Methodist hospital, Presbyterian Home, Joseph Sinnott's residence at Rosemont, about forty of the most imposing church edifices in that city and in New Jersey and Delaware.

In 1874 he purchased a farm of 400 acres of Richard J. Dobbins, in Montgomery county, located in Montgomery township, on which he spent the remainder of his life. He dealt very extensively in thoroughbred horses and breeding them. He also gave some of his time and attention to his contracting business. He was a popular and progressive citizen, honored for his many excellent qualities and integrity in all matters of business. In his political views he was liberal, voting for men rather than for party, although identified with the Democratic party. In religious views he affiliated with the Presbyterian church. He died May 22, 1890. His wife died May 18, 1904. Both were buried in Montgomery Square Methodist graveyard. Their children were: Mary, wife of James E. Downey, residing in Philadelphia; William G., John G., Jennie (Mrs. Charles D. Hill).

William G. Armstrong was educated in the public schools of Philadelphia and of Montgomery township. After completing his studies he engaged with his father as accountant for the purpose of gaining a knowledge of the business. He was thus engaged for ten years previous to his father's death. After that event he completed all contracts on hand and unfinished at that time. Since 1891 he has given all his attention to his farm and to the raising of thoroughbred race horses, and is the owner of some of the finest stock in the country. Mr. Armstrong is deeply and actively interested in everything relating to the welfare of Montgomery township, and the progress of the community in which he lives. He was instrumental in obtaining one of the finest macadamized roads in the county for this township. He has never been a political office seeker, but efficiently filled the position of township supervisor for one term. He married, at Camden, New Jersey, Rhoda S., daughter of William and Hannah Cattell, of Woodbury, New Jersey. They have no children.

 

 

JACOB RAPINE, a well known farmer of Whitemarsh township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, was born at the old homestead, near Barren Hill, July 29, 1825. He is the son of Nicholas and Annie (Wampole) Rapine. Jacob Rapine, grandfather, was educated in the common schools of that day, and on leaving school engaged in the occupation of farming, which he followed all his life. He was twice married, his son Nicholas being a child of his first wife.

Nicholas Rapine, father of Jacob, was born on the homestead in 1805. He was the son of Jacob Rapine, a native of the same vicinity. Nicholas was educated in neighborhood schools, which were very deficient in their methods at that time. After leaving school he entered upon the occupation of farming, to which he had been trained in his boyhood, and followed it through life. In politics he was a Democrat, and a strong advocate of the interests of his party. He attended the Lutheran church at Barren Hill. The children of Nicholas and Annie Wampole Rapine Charles, Jackson, Jeremiah, Mary A., Elmira, Mary and Jacob, the last named the subject of this sketch.

 

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Jacob Rapine was educated at the Barren Hill school, alternating attendance there with the work of the farm during the period of boyhood. Engaging in the pursuit of agriculture on leaving school, he continued it through life, until of recent years, when be lived a retired life. In politics he has followed the tendencies he inherited from his forefathers, and has been a Democrat. He has held several minor township offices, but has not been in any sense an office-seeker. In religious faith, Mr. Rapine is a Lutheran. He has been twice married. His first wife, whom he married March 1, 1853, was Miss Sarah Decker, a daughter of Peter Decker, a farmer of Whitemarsh township. Their children were: Howard, born July 24, 1854; Nicholas, born March 26. 1857; George, born July 13, 1860; Harry, born June 30, 1864; Harvey, born June 16, 1868. Mrs. Rapine died in 1888. The second wife of Mr. Rapine was a widow, Mrs. Ritter, of Plymouth township, by whom he has had no children.

 

 

WILLIAM P. ELY. The Elys are an old family in the counties of Bucks and Montgomery, being of English descent. The ancestors of the family were members of the Society of Friends, who it may be presumed came originally from the cathedral town of Ely in England.

William Penn Ely is the youngest child of David and Abbie (Pugh) Ely. He was born on the Captain Knox homestead, of Revolutionary fame, in Whitpain township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, March 7, 1937. David Ely (father) was born on the Whitpain homestead in 1795, and died in 1863. He was educated in the common schools of the neighborhood, and on reaching manhood turned his attention to farming, which he followed for a number of years. He then established a shoe store in Norristown, conducting that business successfully for a number of years. He then removed to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he established an agricultural implement store. In politics he was a Whig, and later a Republican, exerting himself in behalf of the party principles. He was a man who was interested in all that was likely to benefit the community in which he lived, and was much respected by all who knew him. He had a birthright membership in the Society of Friends. He married Miss Abbie Pugh, of the state of Maryland. Their children were: Alice, who married Levi Streeper, (deceased), Emeline, Jonathan, Lewis, Hannah, Esther, Jane, George W., and William P., subject of this sketch.

Thomas Ely (grandfather) was a native of Whitpain township. He received an education such as was to be had in the schools of the vicinity, and on leaving school entered on the occupation of farming, which he followed very successfully all his life. He married Hannah Warner, of an old family of Bucks. county, Pennsylvania, connected with the Society of Friends. Their children were Thomas and David (father).

William P. Ely was educated at the old Oak street public school of Norristown, and then took a course at Treemount Seminary, the well known Norristown school. On leaving that institution he entered the establishment of Fowler Wells, Philadelphia, remaining there for several years, as a clerk. He then returned to Norristown, and became engaged in the grocery store of William H. Jones, where the opera house now stands, and then removed to Whitemarsh township and took a position as clerk in the general store of Streeper & Yerkes, at Spring Mill. In 1858 his brother-in-law Levi Streeper purchased the store, and Mr. Ely became associated with him under the firm name of Streeper & Ely. This arrangement was continued up to 1867, when Mr. Ely became sole proprietor and continued up to 1872, and then associated himself with Thomas W. Morris and continued thus to 1886. He has since lived in retirement at Spring Mill, where he owns a beautiful home.

Mr. Ely married, January 8, 1862, Miss Elizabeth Lentz, born November 14, 1838, daughter of Girard and Margaret Lentz, farmers, residing in Whitmarsh township. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Ely are: Herman G., born December 30, 1862; Margaret A., born December 21, 1866, died November 7, 1869; and M. Gertrude, born March 18, 1871, died November 6, 1882.

In politics Mr. Ely is a thoroughgoing Republican. He has held the position of school director in Whitemarsh township since 1868. He has been township tax collector since 1888. He also holds the position of town clerk. He is treasurer of the township school board, and was for a term of years secretary and treasurer of the Spring Mill Building and Loan Association, a flourishing institution. Fraternally Mr. Ely is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and has passed through the different chairs of the order. In religious faith he affiliates with St. Mark's Lutheran church, of Conshohocken, having been an elder therein ever since its organization.

 

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Mr. Ely is a man who is very highly respected by the community in which he lives. Thoroughly upright and straightforward in all his dealings and endowed with excellent judgment, he is constantly called upon to settle estates, and to act as an adviser in important business matters. His decisions are according to right and justice, in which all concerned usually acquiesce, as he possesses in a remarkable degree the confidence (If all who know him.

 

EUGENE BLAIR, a well known citizen and business man near Hatboro, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, belongs to an old family of Scotch ancestry. He was born in Moreland township adjacent to Hatboro, June 7, 1858, he was reared as a farmer, and also learned the milling trade. He was educated in the public schools of the vicinity. He is the son of David T. and Mary C. (Krusen) Blair, of Bucks county Pennsylvania.

David T. Blair (father) was a son of William R. Blair of Cambridge, Maryland, who was born in 1788 and came to Pennsylvania with the family in 1795. They located in Bucks county, where William R. grew to manhood.

William R. Blair (grandfather) was a son of John Blair, of Scotch-Irish nativity. He came to America during colonial days and assisted in throwing off the yoke of Great Britain during the war for Independence, serving in the army in the Revolutionary conflict. He held the rank of brigadier-general, and was a paymaster in the army. He was faithful to the cause of the struggling colonies, being endowed with a large share of the patriotism which was so conspicuous a trait in the Scotch-Irish character. After the Revolutionary war he located in Maryland, at Cambridge, where he engaged in merchandising, and died previous to 1795. He held lands which were allotted to him by the government, the title of which he entrusted to other parties for location and identification and which was ultimately lost sight of. His wife, Jean Ramsey, was a native of Bucks county, whose family bought land directly from William Penn, and were among the early settlers of that county.

They had three children, William, of Warwick township, Bucks county; Jane, who married Robert Ramsey; and Nancy, who did not marry. Robert Ramsey was reared in Bucks county and became very prominent. He was quite a politician, and represented the county in the state legislature several terms. Later He served two or three terms in the United States congress. When President Andrew Jackson vetoed the bill for rechartering the United States Bank, Ramsey left the Democratic party and became a Whig, that party afterwards electing him to congress, so that he served through the choice of both political parties.

William R. Blair married Mary, daughter of James Thomas, a prominent hotel keeper at Chalfont, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, during the Revolutionary war and later. William R. Blair was a carpenter and later in life a farmer, and a respected member of the community. He affiliated with the Presbyterian church. Ills children: Jane, died unmarried; David T., father of Eugene Blair; John, who resides at Topeka, Kansas, at the age of eighty-four years; James T. deceased, a blacksmith; Mary, died unmarried; Rachel, Mrs. J. Alter. William Ramsey a brother of Jean served through the Revolutionary war. He was a courier. and crossed the Delaware river with messages, crossing over the, ice when it was so thin that he was obliged to carry a rail, so that ill case he broke through it would keep him from sinking.

David T. Blair, father of Eugene Blair, married September 3, 1857. He remained in Bucks county until 1858 and settled in Montgomery county. In 1853 he returned to Bucks County. In 1876 he returned to Montgomery County and purchased the farm and mill property on which he remained during the rest of his life. The mill was built in the year 1827, and was originally run by water power, although steam was ultimately used. The mill is yet in good condition. Politically he was a Democrat. During his residence in Bucks county he often served as a delegate to conventions. He was over six feet in height, and stout in proportion. He affiliated with the Presbyterian church. He died at the homestead, May 19, 1891. His wife survived him and died October l0, 1896. She was the daughter of James Krusen, of Northampton township, Bucks county, the family being descended from Hollanders. The father of James Krusen was Derrick Krusen. The family as a rule were farmers, and members of the Reformed church. James Krusen died in Bucks county. His children: Mary C., mother of Eugene Blair; Anna (Mrs. H. Addis); Francis, a farmer in Bucks county.

 

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The children of David T. Blair: Eugene, subject of this sketch; H. Craig, born January 25, 1862, died July 5, 1892, unmarried; Lynn, born February 15, 1865, died January 10, 1867. The mother was a Presbyterian in religious faith.

Eugene Blair, being the only surviving heir of his parents, remained at the farm and mill. Politically he is a Democrat, but does not aspire to public office.

 

 

EPHRAIM STEEVER, a prominent and public-spirited citizen of Montgomery township, where he is highly respected and esteemed for his many sterling qualities, was born on the old homestead farm, on which he still resides, July 24, 1848, a son of John and Mary Ann (Knipe) Steever.

John Steever (father), son of Michael and Elizabeth (Hartman) Steever, was born on the farm in Montgomery township now owned by Mrs. M. M. Ayars, August 30, 1812. In early life he learned the trade of carpenter, at which he worked for a number of years. He was a prominent contractor in. the city of Philadelphia at one time, and many of the principal buildings in Montgomery township were erected by him.

In 1845 he purchased from James and Maria Louisa Ross the farm on which his son Ephraim Steever now resides, which consists of seventy-six acres and eighty-eight perches, and on which was located a saw and grist mill. Three years after the purchase of the property he tore down the old mill and erected a saw mill which he equipped with modern machinery, also putting in a new Parker water-wheel.

In 1855 he erected a stone grist and saw mill, introducing steam power, and conducted the same in connection with his agricultural pursuits up to the time of his death, January 25, 1892. He took a very active interest in public affairs, and served the township as assessor for many years, holding the offices of school director and auditor, and also efficiently filling the position of county commissioner for three years.

He was a consistent member of the Lutheran church, and his political affiliations were with the Democratic party. His wife, Mary Ann (Knipe) Steever, bore him the following named children: Sarah, born November 26, 1844, died in infancy; Ephraim, mentioned hereinafter; Michael, born May 26, 1850, married Ella Nash, daughter of John Nash, and resides at Willow Grove; Alfred, born July 11, 1852, married Wilhelmina Kephart, and resides at Mechanic's Valley, Bucks county; Christian, born July 2, 1854, died March 1, 1871; Amanda, born May 3, 1857, died July 10, 1875; Arthur, born December 22, 1859, married Grace Laycock, and resides in Philadelphia; and John, born February 16, 1863, married Amanda Pheris, and resides in Elkins, West Virginia.

Ephraim Steever obtained a practical education in the Overholk school of North Wales, and after completing his studies served an apprenticeship at the trade of mechanical engineer. He operated the grist and saw mill owned by his father in the capacity of an engineer until 1894, in which year he purchased the old homestead, including the mill, and for five years thereafter he operated the mill, which proved a most profitable means of livelihood, but at the expiration of this period of time he devoted his attention exclusively to the tilling of the soil. Since attaining his majority he has been actively identified with public affairs, and has served in the capacity of school director, judge of elections, auditor, inspector of elections, and at the present time (1904) is filling the office of supervisor of the township.

 

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Mr. Steever was married at Doylestown, Pennsylvania, December 22, 1873, to Emily E. Wigton, who was born in Doylestown, July 9, 1852, a daughter of William and Hulda (Evans) Wigton, both natives of Doylestown, Bucks county, Pennsylvania. Their children are: Laura Mary, born August 8, 1876, wife of Howard M. Davis, a resident of Philadelphia, and they are the parents of one child Clarence S., born January 1, 1904. Bertha Anneta, born November 27, 1877, wife of Ralph H. Mann. Florence Maud, born October 27, 1880. Alice Irene, born September 7, 1882. Amanda Knipe, born October 5, 1884. Grace Ross, born March 23, 1889. Ephraim Frank, born August 7, 1895.

Isabella Emily, a daughter of Arthur Steever, aged three years, was accidentally killed by a trolley car in Philadelphia, September 6, 1904.

 

 

THE OGONTZ SCHOOL for Young Ladies was founded in 1850 by Miss Mary L. Bonney and Miss Harriette L. Dillaye. It was then known as the Chestnut Street Seminary, and was conducted in Philadelphia, until 1883, when Miss Frances E. Bennett and Miss Silvia J. Eastman were admitted to partnership, and the school was removed to the suburban home of Jay Cooke, Esq., at Ogontz. Later Misses Bonney and Dillaye retired from the management of the school, and in 1900 Miss Bennett also retired owing to ill health, and since that date it has been entirely under the control of Miss Eastman, who is assisted by a large corps of the most competent teachers.

The school at the present time has one hundred and ten boarding pupils, and twenty-five day pupils. A paper, "The Ogontz Mosaic," is published monthly by the pupils of the school for eight months of the year. To many of her old pupils and others the name of Miss Bonney will awaken familiar recollections. She was born in Hamilton, New York, June 8, 1816. Her grandfathers, Benjamin Bonney and Abel Wilder, of Chesterfield, Massachusetts, were in the Revolutionary war, the last named being a soldier serving by the side of the lamented General Warren when he fell at Bunker Hill.

The parents of Miss Bonney were Benjamin and Lucinda (Wilder) Bonney. Her father served in the war of 1812, and later as colonel of the One Hundred and Sixty-fifth Regiment New York State Militia. Miss Bonney was educated in the schools of her native state, graduating from the Troy Female Seminary in 1835. She made teaching her lifework, holding positions in Jersey City, New York City, DeRuyter, New York, and Troy Female Seminary, the Beaufort (South Carolina) School, and in Philadelphia. Deciding to establish a school of her own in 1850, she opened the Chestnut Street Female Seminary in Philadelphia, as already stated, which later developed into the Ogontz School for Young Ladies. To join her in founding the institution, she invited Miss Harriette A. Dillaye, a teacher in Troy Seminary. For a period of thirty-three years the Chestnut Street Seminary enjoyed great popularity and a large patronage, and in 1883 the two teachers, Miss Bennett and Miss Eastman, were admitted as associate principals, the school being continued at Ogontz under its present name.

Miss Bonney's devotion to duty, her uprightness, her strong will, kind heart, quick sympathies and deep and conscientious interest in all her pupils, left a lasting impress upon thousands with whom she came in contact, and especially the younger minds who are most susceptible to intellectual and moral influences. Some time after severing her connections with the Ogontz school, she married a Rev. Mr. Rainbaut. She died at Hamilton, New York, on July 24, 1900.

Miss Harriette A. Dillaye, after severing her connection with the Ogontz School, still continued to reside there, remaining until her death, which occurred on June 1, 1897, she then being in her eightieth year. Her character might be said to resemble a well finished picture about which there is little to say, there being no necessity for mere words of praise, and it being above criticism. Notwithstanding her preference for those she loved, she was equally the friend of every one who needed a friend. In her early life she was associated both as pupil and teacher with Frances Willard, the pioneer in the higher education of women. In founding a school of her own, Miss Dillaye proved by her success her peculiar fitness for the work. When advancing age made it expedient for her to lay aside her work, she chose her successor with an unerring instinct. As generous to proclaim as she was quick to discern, when she placed her portion of the burden of the school upon Miss Bennett, she stepped graciously aside, and with her latest breath rejoiced in the recital of another's triumph.

 

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The Ogontz School for Young Ladies is situated a few miles north of Philadelphia, with which it is connected by many trains. The location is in a beautiful section of country, dotted with the handsome residences of business men of Philadelphia and others. The buildings afford ample accommodations, all the surroundings are of the most attractive character, and the arrangements for the welfare of the pupils are all that could be desired. All the advantages of the city are there attained, together with the beauty, freedom, and healthfulness of rural life. The course of instruction includes the best musical talent that can be procured from New York or Philadelphia. Lectures on subjects connected with different departments of instruction are delivered from time to time by distinguished scholars. The social and family life is a special feature of the school. Only such restrictions are thrown around pupils as are found necessary for their safety, health and mental and moral improvement. The more than twenty years of the school at Ogontz have passed with but one serious case of illness, which is certainly a remarkable testimonial to the salubrity of the section in which it is situated, due very largely to the elevated location and the absolute freedom from malaria. The opportunities for physical culture are all that could be desired. The gymnasium is fitted up with apparatus adapted to the Sargent and Swedish methods; outdoor games are encouraged; and in stormy weather the gymnasium, conservatory, and spacious verandas amply provide for needful exercise. There is no school in the vicinity of Philadelphia that is more thoroughly adapted to educational purposes, nor any where the pupil will receive better attention.

 

 

SAMUEL R. CLAYTON, proprietor of the Eagle Hotel, Edgehill, is a native of Moreland township, in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, where he was born April 21, 1840. He is the son of William and Ann (Roads) Clayton. Mrs. William Clayton was a daughter of Samuel and Abigail (Jenkins) Roads. William Clayton was the son of Abraham and Margaret (Lukens) Clayton. Abraham Clayton (grandfather) resided on a farm in Moreland township, located on Byberry road, and was engaged most of his life in agricultural pursuits. He died in that vicinity, about 1849.

William Clayton was born on the homestead farm in June, 1801, and acquired an education in the ordinary schools of the neighborhood. On reaching manhood he engaged in teaching in the winter months, as was the custom of keeping schools open at that time in the rural districts, and farming in summer. He held the office of justice of the peace for some years. He was a highly educated man, and was much esteemed in the community in which he lived. He succeeded Ills uncle Ezekiel on his father's farm, on which he died in June, 1848. He married Ann Roads, of an old lower Montgomery family. Their children: Edwin, resides in Philadelphia; Samuel R., subject of this sketch; Dr. A. H., residing in Richboro, Bucks county; Levi R., Margaret (deceased), wife of Harman Lauer.

Samuel R. Clayton attended his father's school, which course was supplemented by some time spent at the Eight Square school on the county line. After leaving school as a boy, he was engaged on a farm for six years. On September 20, 1862, he enlisted in the One Hundred and Nineteenth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, and served in defense of his country until the close of the war. During that time he participated in man, important engagements, and was wounded at the battle of Fredericksburg. He was mustered out at Washington at the close of the war in 1865. He then engaged in farming, and cultivated the farm of widow Dyer and the Willard farm for about two years. He then removed to Abington township, and purchased a farm near where is now Willow Grove Park, which he farmed for ten years.

On March 11, 1878, he removed to Edgehill, and rented the Eagle Hotel, which he soon after purchased, and has successfully conducted for a period of more than twenty years. He is a Republican in politics, and has served as assessor and mercantile appraiser. He has never sought public position, preferring to attend strictly to business. His religious affiliations are with the Society of Friends, although he is not a member.

 

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Mr. Clayton married, at Philadelphia, September 20, 1866, Hannah E., daughter of John Shay, a native of Horsham township, in Montgomery county. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel R. Clayton: Annie; John Shay; Mary died in childhood; J. J. Morrison; Samuel Luther, Margaret, deceased; A. Harry, deceased.

John Shay, father of Mrs. Clayton, was a son of John and Ann (Hagerman) Shay. His grandfather and great-grandfather were also John Shay. The Shays were early settlers in Horsham and adjacent townships in Montgomery county. John Shay, father of Mrs. Clayton, was born on the old homestead in Horsham township, in October, 1805. He had a brother Edward, who married Hannah Roberts. He engaged in farming in early life, and subsequently became a miller, and followed that occupation until his death in 1884, in his seventy-ninth year. He had two children, Mrs. Clayton and Mary Ann, wife of Harrison C. Green, residing in Horsham township. Mrs. Ann Hagerman died in 1865 in her fifty-ninth year.

The following is a copy of a marriage certificate in the possession of Mrs. Samuel R. Clayton, Edgehill.

WHEREAS, Ezekiel Shoemaker, son of Richard Shoemaker of Horsham, county of Philadelphia and province of Pennsylvania, and Ann Williams, daughter of John Williams, of the same place, having declared their intention of marriage with each other before several monthly meetings of the people called Quakers held at Gwynedd according to the good order used amongst Friends, and having consent of parents and of parties concerned in their intentions of marriage, was allowed of by the said meeting.

Now THESE MAY CERTIFIE all whom it may concern that for the full accomplishment of their said intentions this tenth day of the Eleventh month in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and sixty-one, they the said Ezekiel Shoemaker and Ann Williams appeared in a public meeting of the said people at their meeting house at Gwynedd aforesaid and the said Ezekiel Shoemaker, taking the said Ann Williams by the hand, did in solemn manner openly declare that he took her the said Ann Williams to be his wife promising with God's assistance to be unto her a faithful and loving husband until death should separate them.

And moreover they the said Ezekiel Shoemaker and Ann Williams, she according to the custom of marriage assuming the name of her husband, as a further confirmation thereof, did then and there to these presents set their hands. And we whose names are underwritten, being present at the solemnization of the said marriage and subscription, have as witnesses thereunto, set our hands the day and year above written. Daniel Morgan, Joseph Amber, Joseph Kenderdine, Isaac Jones, Elizabeth Jones, Humphrey Williams, David Davis, Evan Roberts, Jacob Jones, John Hickman, Margaret Hickman, Rachel Kenderdine, Henry Stiffield, Margaret Stiffield, Evan Jones, Elizabeth Gerret, Mary Gerret, Hannah Shoemaker, Joseph Naul, Harry Williams, Mary Williams, Ernmor Williams, Hannah Roberts, John Roberts, Joseph Shoemaker, Jonathan Shoemaker, Ellin Evans, Eliza Morgan, Richard Shoemaker, John Williams, Jane Williams, William Williams, George Shoemaker, Theophilus Williams, Agnes Shoemaker, Grace Shoemaker, Peter Cleaver, Thomas Kenderdine, Nathan Cleaver, Joseph Philips, Edward Ambler and others.

 

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ISRAEL MULLIN, a descendant of an old colonial family, is of the fifth generation in this country of the family. He was born in Horsham township, February 26, 1838. He was reared to farm pursuits and educated in the public schools of the township. He is the son of Robert and Mary (Hallowell) Mullin. His father was of Horsham township, and the mother of Lower Merion township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania.

Robert Mullin (father) was the son of William, and William was a son of William, Sr. William, Sr., was a son of Charles Mullin, who was the first of the family in Montgomery county. He was a prominent farmer of Horsham township, and died within a short distance of this farm. His son William succeeded him on the homestead. His son William (grandfather) succeeded him. William, Jr., had two sisters, Sarah Mrs. Jesse Shay, and Mary (Mrs. J. Rubicam). His children: Agnes (Mrs. Job Darnell); David, a farmer; Robert (father); Joshua, Charles and William, all farmers. Robert Mullin was reared at the homestead, being educated in the common schools, and at the proper age learned the millwright trade and was employed at that occupation until his marriage. He married Mary Hallowell, who was born in Lower Merion township, August 27, 1809. She was the daughter of William and Catharine (Shoemaker) Hallowell. William Hallowell was one of the widely known residents of Montgomery county in his day. His children: Mary, mother of Israel Mullin; Susan (Mrs. G. Pyott); William R., of Rochester, New York; Jane (Mrs. Hugh Foreman); Phebe (Mrs. Samuel K. Stout); Catharine (Mrs. William H. Jenkins); Caleb R., a farmer, for many years a resident of Plymouth township, but more recently residing near Phoenixville. Catharine and Caleb were children by a second wife, Jane Walker, of a well known family living west of the Schuylkill, descendants of Lewis Walker, who settled in Tredyffrin township, Chester county, in 1713, and became the ancestor of a very numerous and influential family.

Robert Mullin was born August 23, 1807. He spent one year on the homestead, after he was married, after which he bought the farm adjoining, on which he located and remained there his entire life, living a most exemplary life. He died December 19, 1884, aged seventy-eight years. He was greatly respected by the community in which he lived. He was an excellent farmer, and attended Philadelphia market for many years. Politically he was a Whig and Republican, and filled some minor township offices, although he was in no sense an office seeker. He was a member of the Horsham Monthly Meeting of Friends, and greatly attached to the principles of the Society. His wife, Mary Mullin, survived several years, and died March 18, 1889, in the eightieth year of her age.

The children of Robert and Mary Mullin: Edwin, born in 1836, removed to Iowa, where he is an extensive farmer; Israel, subject of this sketch; Anna, who died at the age of twenty years; Jane H., born December 7, 1845; Phebe, born in 1851, married David Lukens. Jane H. Mullin married Thomas Kerbaugh, who died February 14, 1877. He was a merchant at Davis Grove, in Horsham township. He left two children, Mary, married H. Dager, and Edgar, of Gwynedd. His widow makes her home with her brother Israel since the death of her husband.

Israel Mullin succeeded his father on the homestead, acquiring the ownership by purchase from the other heirs. He gives all his attention to farming, and is a practical worker in that line and very successful. In politics he is a Republican, but has never aspired to public office of any kind. He married, June 13, 1872, Anna L. Ely, daughter of Gilbert and Sarah (Corson) Ely, of an old Bucks county family, although for many years residents of Horsham township. His children: Hannah, Mrs. Webster; Rebecca, Mrs. Teas; William Ellwood, a real estate agent at North Wales, long deceased; Joshua, died unmarried; Anna L., wife of Israel Mullin; Adella, Mrs. S. Lukens.

The children of Israel and Anna Louisa Mullin: Howard E., born October 6, 1874, resides with his father and fills the position of township auditor; Clarence, married, and a farmer by occupation, was born August 3, 1877; Wesley, born July 8, 1882, unmarried. Mrs. Mullin died March 15, 1883, in the thirty-sixth year of her age.

 

 

(Picture of J. Frank Cottman)

 

J. FRANK COTTMAN, the genial and popular proprietor of the Cottman House, Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, was born in the hotel of which he is now proprietor, on November 27, 1842, a son of William and Helena (Delaney) Cottman, and a descendant of an old Montgomery county family. His maternal great-grandfather, Joseph Deerman, held a commission in the Revolutionary army.

 

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His paternal grandfather, John H. Cottman, was a native of Montgomery county Pennsylvania, and was a resident of that section of the state during his entire lifetime. He was the proprietor of the Spread Eagle Hotel at Bethayres, Moreland township, for many years, and after his death it was conducted for several years by his widow, who was known as Aunt Jennie Cottman, her maiden name having been Jennie Benner.

William Cottman (father) was a lifelong resident of Montgomery county, Pennsylvania. He was the owner of sixty-five acres of land located where the settlement of Noble now is, and this ground was cultivated to a high state of perfection. For several years he conducted the Buck Hotel, Bucks county, but in April, 1834, he purchased the Cottman Hotel at Jenkintown, which he conducted successfully until 1861, the year of his retirement from active pursuits, when he turned the business over to his son Charles, who conducted it until April 1, 1870. By his marriage to Helena Delaney four children were born, as follows: 1. Charles, deceased; he married Emma Shoemaker, who survives him, and resides in Jenkintown; they were the parents of two children, William, and Helen, wife of Joseph Paxson, and mother of one child, Charles Paxson. 2. Emma, wife of Edward H. Williams, and their family consists of three children Sarah T., wife of Horace Trumbaur; no family by this union, but by a previous marriage she has one daughter, Agnes Helena Smith; Arthur, who married Miss McDowell, and they are the parents of one son; and Helen, wife of Frank Wollaston, and mother of one son, Edward H. Wollaston. 3. James, who died in childhood. 4. J. Frank, mentioned at length hereinafter. William Cottman, father of these children, born November 22, 1802, died November 19, 1869. He was survived by his wife, who was born May 26, 1799, and died September 25, 1872.

J. Frank Cottman received a practical education in the, public schools of Jenkintown, which prepared him for the activities of life. He spent his boyhood and early manhood on his father's

farm. In 1867 he rented the Red Lion Hotel at Willow Grove, which he conducted one year, and in the spring of the following year his father purchased for kiln the Three Tuns Hotel in Upper Dublin township, which hostelry he conducted for two years, achieving a large degree of success in the management thereof, and since 1870 he has been the proprietor of his present hotel, which is first class in all its appointments, and well patronized by the traveling public. Mr. Cottman served three years in the town council, and during this time performed his duties in a highly creditable manner. He is a member of Friendship Lodge, No. 400, Free and Accepted Masons, of Jenkintown.

In the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 16, 1867, Mr. Cottman was married to Isabella Buck, born May 16, 1844, daughter of Jacob E. and Catherine (Afflerbach) Buck. No children have been born of this union.

 

 

THEODORE K. ALLEN, a well known farmer of Horsham township, is the son of Abraham and Elizabeth (Eaton) Glen. He was born at Horshamville, December 27, 1847, and educated at neighboring schools. His mother was a native of Horsham township, and his father was born on the sea while his parents were on their voyage to America from Ireland. Abraham's parents located on a rented farm and he was reared to farm pursuits. When he married he also began life on a rented farm. Later in life he accepted the position of sexton and care taker at Horsham Friends' meeting, which he filled for many years until his death. Their children: Charles, born in 1828; Elias, deceased; Ellwood, of Bryn Mawr, served in the army throughout the rebellion; Theodore K., subject of this sketch; Morris, a merchant of Ambler; Elizabeth (Mrs. Isaac Morgan); Josephine (Mrs. D. Dabree).

 

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Theodore K. Allen in his boyhood assisted his father in digging the graves in the burying ground, continuing to do so as long as he lived, and succeeding him in the position when he died. He had sole charge of the cemetery for eleven years, during which time he interred 1027 bodies. He married in 1877, and soon afterwards bought the farm of 110 acres on which he now resides. It belonged to James and Caroline Lefevre, well known residents of Horsham township, in the vicinity of Prospectville, long since deceased. He has resided on the farm and cultivated it ever since. He has greatly improved the buildings, remodeling the house and erecting a new and commodious barn. He has added many conveniences to the farming outfit, and keeps the place in a high state of cultivation. It is located about a mile west of Prospectville, near the turnpike, and is devoted to general farming and dairying, Mr. Allen maintaining a large herd of fine cattle. He attends Philadelphia market. He also sells milk. He is a practical farmer, giving all his attention to his business, and has been successful.

Mr. Allen married, in 1877, Miss Harriet Anna Perry, who was born at Summerville, Pennsylvania, September 20, 1853, being the daughter of Joshua B. and Catharine (Staunton) Perry. Her father was born in December, 1808, and died March 17, 1866. He was a tailor by trade, and followed his occupation at Willow Grove and in Philadelphia. His widow survived him many years, and died July 21, 1896, at the age of eighty-two years. Her name was Catharine Staunton, and she was descended from an old family in that section of Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Perry were both members of the Methodist church. Their children: Mary (Mrs. F. Walton); John A., harness maker; Jacob F., a farmer; Albert, served in the Union army during the rebellion, and is now a resident of Plainfield, New Jersey: George J., a farmer: Harriet A., wife of Mr. Allen; Savilla (Mrs. Isaac Shoemaker).

The children of Mr. and Mrs. Theodore K. Allen: Walter, born October 17, 1880; Clarence K., born April 18, 1882; Howard E., born December 1, 1886; Irene D., born April 13, 1892; Mabel C., born June 24, 1895.

In politics Mr. Allen is a Republican. He has been judge of elections, and has filled other minor township offices, but is not in any sense an office seeker. He is an active business man, and has the respect and confidence of the community in which he lives.

 

 

MRS. ALMINA M. HINDENACH wife of Charles Hindenach, was born at Jarrettown, August 20, 1847. She is the daughter of Conrad and Elizabeth (Allen) Lower. Her mother was of Horsham township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, and her father, born in 1817, of Germany. Her grandfather was a man of wealth and influence in Germany. He bought from the government the right of his four sons to be exempt from army duty, and came with them to America in April, 1835, bringing also a sister with him. His sons, all having the prenomen John, were as follows: John Frederick, John E., chemist and physician; John Conrad, father of Mrs. Hindenach; John G., a blacksmith. Conrad and John G. settled in Montgomery county, and John I,. in Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, the last named being a tailor by trade. John E. was well educated in Germany and engaged in the occupation of teaching school after coming to this country. Later he located in Philadelphia, where he became a physician, remaining there until 1849, when he went to California as the result of being attacked with the gold mining fever. After some experience in gold mining he returned to New York and remained there.

Conrad, father of Mrs. Hindenach, settled in Newtown, Bucks county, and from there removed to Jarrettown where he followed the occupation of wheelwright for many years. He was a prosperous mechanic. Later he turned his attention to the purchase of real estate, and owned two fine farms. He was very successful in his wheelwright business, being an extensive manufacturer of farm wagons. He employed for a time a dozen workmen in various capacities. He was a member of the Lutheran church. He died at Jarrettown, January 22, 1889. His wife, who was Elizabeth Allen, of an old Montgomery county family, died in 1869. Their children William C., of Jarrettown, who served in the Union army during the rebellion; Anna (Mrs. Joseph M.. Jones), who is deceased, leaving no children; Almina, Mrs. Charles Hindenach, subject of this sketch; Charles, a farmer, who is deceased, leaving six children Emma, died at the age of sixteen years; Frank, a coach painter, now of Fort Washington.

 

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Conrad Lower was one of the best known citizens of his sections of Montgomery county, enjoying the confidence and esteem of all who knew, him. Politically he was a Republican, but he never sought or held public office. He attended the Methodist church, although not connected with it in membership. His wife died in 1819. The parents of Mrs. Elizabeth had the following children: David, Abraham, William, John, George, Elizabeth, mother of Mrs. Hindenach; Brice, of Chalfont, the only one of the family now living.

Mrs. Hindenach was reared at Jarrettown, and remained with her parents until she was married, January 6, 1877, at Hatboro Methodist parsonage. The couple first settled on a farm in Bucks county for two years. They next located in Montgomery county, on the David Lukens farm, for two years, and then of the Jesse Roberts farm for two years, at the end of which time Mr. Hindenach bought the farm on which Mrs. Hindenach now resides.

Charles Hindenach, husband of Mrs. Hindenach was born in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, February 23, 1849, and was reared on a farm. When he was old enough he was employed by William Hallowell, with whom he remained fourteen years as a farm hand and teamster. At the end of that time he married, and engaged in farming as already noted. He was a successful farmer. His education was limited but he was a good business man. He was a member of Ambler lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellow. He died April 19, 1901. In politics he was a Democrat, but never sought or held office with the exception of supervisor, which of he held for four years, giving good satisfaction to the people of the township. He attended the Lutheran church. The children of Charles and Almina M. Hindenach: Mary E., born February 1, 1879; Gertrude, born August 28, 1884, a four-year student and graduate of the State Normal School at West Chester, and is a competent teacher; Warren, born January 24, 1892, now in attendance at school. Mrs. Hindenach is a Methodist in religious faith, being a member of the Jarrettown church.

 

 

JOHN B. VANSANT, a prominent farmer in Lower Dublin township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, was born near Fox Chase, August 3, 1840. He is the son of James and Jane (Make) Vansant. He was reared to farm pursuits, and educated in the public schools of the vicinity.

James Vansant (father) was the son of Charles Vansant, of an old colonial family of Pennsylvania. He was married three times, and had children by each marriage. By the first he had one daughter: by the second, two sons, Garrison and William Vansant; and by the third marriage a son and daughter James, the father of John B. Vansant; and Mary (Mrs. Jonathan Knight). In politics he was a Democrat, and his religious faith a member of the Presbyterian church.

James Vansant always resided in eastern Pennsylvania, and died in April, 1876. He learned the trades of wheelwrighting and carpentry, but later became a farmer, which occupation continued through life. He affiliated with the Presbyterian church, although he a member, as his father had been. He was a democrat in politics but never aspired to public office. He married Jane Blake, of a well known Fox Chase family. She was the daughter of John and Jane (Worrall) Blake, also Presbyterians, and farmers by occupation. The children of John and Jane Blake: Jonathan, Jacob, Charles, George, Robert, Jane mother of John B. Vansant; Elizabeth (Mrs. Edward Thornton).

The children of Mr. and Mrs. James Vansant: Eliza J., Mrs. James Haas of Philadelphia; John B., the subject of this sketch; Mary (Mrs. A Tompkins).

Mrs. Jane Vansant died in 1842, and her husband married Elizabeth Sweeney. Their children: Lillie (Mrs. J. Longstreth) and Charles of Philadelphia.

 

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John Blake Vansant remained under the parental roof he married in 1867. He then farmed on the homestead for five years, and then removed to another farm which he occupied one year. He then removed to a farm which he purchased in 1873, and on which he yet resides. It is located about a mile from Fort Washington, and contains fifty-two and one-half acres of fertile land. Mr. Vansant has since added sixty-eight acres to his original purchase. He gives his undivided attention to farming, and is very successful in obtaining good crops, and in making the best of everything. He has an excellent stone quarry on the farm, from which he supplies much of the material used in building at Fort Washington, Ambler, and other towns in the vicinity. He now operates a dairy, shipping his milk to the city of Philadelphia, where he gets good prices for his product. In politics Mr. Vansant is a Republican, but he is liberal enough in local matters to vote for good men, irrespective of their political predilections. He is not an office seeker in any sense of the term. He is a man who stands high in the community, enjoying the respect and esteem of all his neighbors. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and also of the Patrons of Husbandry, Wissahickon Grange.

Mr. Vansant married Miss Elizabeth Butterworth, born in Philadelphia, January 12, 1843. She is the daughter of Willoughby and Christiana (Klein) Butterworth, the father of Berks and the mother of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania. Willoughby Butterworth is the son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Dollman) Butterworth, both of Pennsylvania. Jacob Butterworth was a carpenter, and followed that occupation through life. He was a member of the Universalist church, and a worthy man in every respect. He died in Philadelphia, where he had made his home for many years previous to his death. His children: Willoughby, father of Mrs. Vansant; Lydia (Mrs. J. Myers); Sarah (Mrs. A. Barnes); Mary (Mrs. G. Corey). Willoughby Butterworth was born in Berks county on February 1, 1818, but when he was a small boy removed to Philadelphia with his father, and grew to manhood there, learning the carpenter trade which he followed through life. He died in Philadelphia, March 22, 1901.

He was an enthusiast on the subject of building associations, and one of the organizers and strong supporters of those useful institutions. He and his wife were both members of the Universalist church. His wife was born March 3, 1818, and died October 19, 1884. She was the daughter of Michael Klein, a tailor by trade. The children of Michael Klein were: Tobias, Hannah, Caroline, Leanna, Sophia, Salome, Christiana (mother of Mrs. Vansant); Michael, Charles and Maria.

The children of Mr. and Mrs. John B. Vansant: Willoughby, born February 28, 1868, married Anna L. Clayton, and has three children; Florence, Elizabeth, and John A., who farms the homestead.

 

 

(Picture of Dr. Franklin Watson)

 

DR. FRANKLIN WATSON, physician and surgeon, of Willow Grove, is a native of Langhorne, in Middletown township, Bucks county, Pennsylvania. He is the son of Joseph John and Jane T. (Wildman) Watson. He was born October 23, 1869. His mother's father was John Wildman, at one time associate judge in Bucks county, and president of the Langhorne National Bank.

Dr. Watson obtained his education at the Friends' school, Langhorne, and in Philadelphia,, where he attended the Friends' Central School. He entered on a four years' course at the Hahnemann Homeopathic Medical College in Philadelphia, graduating May 12, 1897. Since that date he has been engaged continuously in the practice of his profession at Willow Grove, where he has built up a considerable practice.

Dr. Watson is a member of the Twenty-third Ward Homeopathic Medical Society of Philadelphia; of the Germantown Homeopathic Medical Society, and of the Tri-County Homeopathic Medical Society. In politics he is a Republican. He has filled the position of township auditor for four years. His ancestors were all members of the Society of Friends for many generations, and he very naturally clings to that faith, attending Horsham Meeting. He is a progressive citizen, and is highly esteemed by the community in which he lives.

 

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The Wildmans and Watsons are both old Bucks county families, whose ancestors came to this country in the time of William Penn.

 

 

(Picture of John Wildman)

 

JUDGE JOHN WILDMAN, who was prominent in public affairs and business circles in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, came of English ancestry. The progenitor of the family in America was Martin Wildman, who in 1693 left his home in Yorkshire, England, crossed the Atlantic to America and settled in Middletown township, Bucks county, Pennsylvania. He was accompanied by his wife, Ann, and their six children. They held membership with the Society of Friends, and brought their certificate of membership from the monthly meeting of Settle, Yorkshire, England.

Their children were as follows: Mathew, born November 12, 1678; John, born February 22, 1631; Joseph, January 23, 1683; James, January 20, 1685; Alice, February 6, 1687; Elizabeth, September 9, 1689.

Joseph Wildman (2), son of the progenitor and the great-grandfather of John Wildman, followed agricultural pursuits in Bucks county. John Wildman (3), son of Joseph Wildman, was born in Middletown, July 8, 1732, and he was also identified with farming interests in Bucks county during the pioneer epoch in its history. John Wildman (4), born March 28, 1771, in Bucks county, removed to Bensalem township in 1817, and throughout his entire life carried on agricultural pursuits, meeting with good success. He wedded Mary Knight, also a native of Bucks county, and had a family of twelve children, ten of whom reached adult age. His death occurred in 1842. Judge John Wildman (5), the seventh member of the family of John and Mary Wildman, was born in Middletown township, Bucks county, February 10, 1813, and was reared to agricultural pursuits. His early education, acquired in the district schools, was supplemented by study in the Friends' school in Byberry, Philadelphia. He, too, became a farmer, and in 1840 purchased a tract of land in Middletown townships, in which he made his home through the succeeding decade. Then selling his property he removed to Attleboro, in Langhorne. He became agent for the Mutual Beneficial Insurance Association of Bucks county, long acting in that capacity, and for several years he was its treasurer. In 1850 he was elected a director, and appointed agent of the Bucks County Contribution, the oldest insurance company in the county, and continued to represent both companies as agent. He was at one time the only surviving member of the board as it stood when he was chosen to serve thereon.

Judge Wildman also figured in financial circles, assisting in the organization of the People's National Bank of Langhorne, at which time he was chosen its president. He gave to the bank its name, and his able management and keen business discrimination promoted in large measure the success of the institution and won for it an honorable position in financial circles. His well known business integrity as well as capability led to his selection for various positions of honor and trust. He was many times chosen executor, administrator and assignee, settling many estates and acting as guardian for several orphan children. No trust reposed in him was ever betrayed in the slightest degree.

Preeminently a man of affairs, Judge Wildman yielded a wide influence, manifested in public life as well as in business circles. He was a stanch Republican, and in 1865 was appointed and served an unexpired term as one of the associate judges of Bucks county. He was for three years jury commissioner, and upon the creation of the office of visiting committeeman of public charities for the county of Bucks, he was appointed to serve in that capacity, and continued therein for a considerable period.

On the incorporation of Langhorne he was elected its first chief burgess. Questions affecting the general welfare were of deep concern to him and he gave to such his earnest consideration in order that his support or disapproval thereof (as the case might be) should be for the best interests of the general community. His personal traits of character his fidelity and friendship, his devotion to his family and his strict adherence to high manly principles-all combined to make film one of the honored and representative men of his county.

In 1841 Judge Wildman was married to Abigail Thomson, a daughter of Thomas Thomson. She was of English lineage, and her parents were members of the Society of Friends. There was one child of this marriage, Jane T., who became the wife of Joseph John Watson, and had two children, Franklin and Abigail T.

 

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Judge Wildman lost his wife in 1868, and in 1871 he wedded Sarah Ann Taylor, a daughter of Yardley Taylor, of Loudoun county, Virginia. She, too, was of English lineage, and was the widow of Abram Warner. By her first marriage she had four children: Hannah, the wife of Phineas Briggs, a farmer; Letitia, wife of S. B. Twining; William Y.; and George. The various members of the family have been identified with the Society of Friends.

 

 

GEORGE G. DAVIS, of Welsh descent, for thirty years a prominent undertaker and well known as a successful business man, is a native of Upper Dublin township, Montgomery county, where he was born June 25, 1845. His parents lived at Puff's Corner.

He was reared to farm pursuits, and attended the public schools during the winter months, assisting in farm labor at other seasons of the year. He is the son of John and Jane S. (Gamble) Davis, she a native of Upper Dublin township, he born in Wales. The grandfather of the subject of this sketch died in Wales, and his widow brought the fancily to America. They settled in Montgomery county, and she kept the family together, her son John (father) learning the trade of a wheelwright. When he had completed his apprenticeship he settled at Puff's Corner, and carried on the wheelwright business. The mother affiliated with the German Baptist church. There were two sons Samuel, also a wheelwright, and John.

John Davis remained at Puff's Corner until his death, which occurred March 20, 1850. He was only a middle-aged man at the time of his death. He was a Baptist in religious faith. He married Jane S. Gamble, a daughter of John and Mary (Service) Gamble, natives of Ireland, who emigrated to America and settled in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, about 1835. He was a carpenter by occupation, and about 1840 located in Upper Dublin township, near Fort Washington. He purchased a home with about two acres of land, built a shop, and later became a contractor and builder, doing much work in this line, and still later added undertaking to his business, in which he became very successful, so that he finally abandoned carpentry and devoted his entire attention to undertaking. In 1860 he added fourteen acres of land to his previous purchase, and died in 1877. He was a Democrat in politics, and in religious faith a member of the German Baptist church. His wife died in 1868.

Their children: Jane (mother); John S. Gamble, a farmer in Bucks county until 1876, when he abandoned farming and engaged in the coal business at Willow Grove, dying at Fox Chase, and leaving four sons and three daughters; Margaret, Mrs. W. J. Scheetz.

The children of John and Jane Davis: Anna (Mrs. A. McAfee); George G., subject of this sketch; John the subject of sketch; Margaret (Mrs. R Buchanan); John G., a carpenter residing near Ambler.

George G. Davis remained with his mother until 1861, when he was sixteen years of age, and then went to his grandfather Gamble's, where he learned the trades of carpenter and undertaker, and has ever since continued in the business, succeeding his grandfather at his death in 1874. He is a graduate of the Champion College of Embalming, and is a master of the art of caring for the dead and giving attention to their burial, and has all the necessary equipment for carrying it on successfully.

Mr. Davis married, February 6, 1866, Miss Lydia Freas, a native of Montgomery county, where he was born in 1844. She is. a daughter of Jesse Freas, whose wife was a Miss Keifer, both families being of German descent, although the Freas family have been long settled in Montgomery county. Jesse Freas resided in Upper Hanover township, where he was a justice of the peace, and a widely known and highly respected citizen. The family were Lutherans.

The children of Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Freas; Anna, wife of B. F. Sill, of Barto, Berks county; Mary (Mrs. William bishop); Kate (Mrs. R. Sliker); Lydia, wife of Mr. George Davis; Susan (Mrs. A. Freed). Both parents of Mrs. Davis are deceased.

 

(Page 215)

 

The children of Mr. and Mrs. George G. Davis: Margaret, wife of Frank Potts, a farmer; Jesse F., his father's assistant in his business, and resides at Ambler; I. May, wife of F. S. Arnold, a butcher; Anna C. and Bessie, unmarried. Mr. and Mrs. Davis are members of the Reformed church. Mr. Davis is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics, and of the Masonic fraternity.

 

 

WILLIAM COMLY WALKER, the courteous and obliging manager of the Jenkintown Telephone Exchange, and justice of the peace, is a native of Worcester township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania. He was born November 20, 1855. He is the son of William and Ellenor (Wright) Walker, both natives of Montgomery county. His father was born January 15, 1815, and died September 5, 1856; his mother was born January 21, 1817, and died December 13, 1885.

William Walker, father, was a tailor by occupation. He died when the son was an infant. Their children were: Mary A., widow of John Zimmerman, of Norristown; John, deceased; Harriet, deceased; Emma, wife of Henry Cunningham, of Philadelphia, and two who died in infancy.

William Comly Walker was educated in the public schools of his native township, beginning life as a farm hand. He subsequently learned the trade of a blacksmith. After completing his apprenticeship he was offered a position in the Shaw mill at Trooper. He remained there for some time, and later entered the Wyoming Mill of William Simpson & Company, at the foot of Swede street, Norristown. He neat took charge of a set of looms in the mill of J. & S. Lees, at Conshohocken, where he remained for several years, and then became foreman of the weaving department, and subsequently superintendent of the mill. He then returned to Norristown and took a position with Henry S. Scatchard, at his woolen mill, remaining with him about eighteen months. During his residence of several years in Norristown Mr. Walker took a very active part in politics, being known as a good worker at the polls.

In 1900 Mr. Walker went to Jenkintown, where he engaged in the grocery business, and in 1903 secured his present position of telephone manager. In 1903 his friends secured him the appointment of justice of the peace by the governor to fill a vacancy which had occurred, and in 1904, at the February election, he was given the nomination on the Republican ticket, and was elected without opposition. In February, 1901, Mr. Walker was elected a member of the borough council of Jenkintown, serving very acceptably in that position. In 1888 he became a member of the Conshohocken school board, a position which he filled satisfactorily for several years. Mr. Walker is a member of Norristown Lodge No. 620, Free and Accepted Masons, being one of those who belonged to the organization at the time its charter was obtained.

Mr. Walker married, in lower Providence, Martha Gardner, born October 31, 1855, daughter of Charles and Mary Gardner. They have had four children, as follows: Lillian M., born May 21, 1879; Laura E., born December 4, 1882, died September 17, 1884; Ralph C., born September 24, 1887; and Stanley L., born February 23, 1894.

Mr. Walker has been a successful man in all his undertakings. In politics he has been remarkably so, his popularity being such that a nomination has always been equivalent to an election. He has earnestly supported the candidates and principles of the Republican party from the time he cast his first vote. He is social and genial in disposition, and has the faculty of making friends in every situation in which he has been placed.

 

(Page 216)

 

 

RICHARD LEE COOPER, M. D., one of the oldest and most favorably known of the medical practitioners of Montgomery county, resides at Ogontz. He is a native of Northampton township, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, where he was born October 20, 183-, a son of Jesse and Jane (Lee) Cooper (both deceased).

Jesse Cooper was the son of John and Eliza (Hibbs) Cooper. The father was a native of Montgomery county, and the mother of Northampton township, Bucks county, Pennsylvania. The children of John and Eliza Cooper were Henry, Jesse and William, now deceased.. Jesse Cooper was born in Northampton township and spent most of his life there, engaged in tilling the soil. Their children: Richard Lee, subject of this sketch; Sarah, deceased, married William Buckman; John D., Eleanor, wife of Theodore Leedom; Rebecca, also married a Leedom; Robert and Jesse.

Dr. Richard Lee Cooper was educated in the public schools of the vicinity in which he lived, and at Newtown Academy. He studied in preparation for the duties of his profession at the old Philadelphia Medical College, from which he graduated in 1860. He began practice as a physician at Richboro, in Bucks county, and practiced continuously in that vicinity for fifteen years. He has practiced in Ogontz since 1875. He has held the office of deputy state medical inspector since 1886, and has been health officer of the township of Cheltenham since 1896. He is a member of the State Medical Society of Pennsylvania, and of the Montgomery County Medical Society. In his religious views he affiliates with the Society of Friends.

Dr. Cooper was married in Philadelphia to Mary Vandeventer, daughter of John and Ann Vandeventer. Their children: Horace and Lizzie, both died in childhood; James Rudolph, a practicing physician of Trenton, New Jersey: Marie, wife of Walter G. Elliott, residing in Providence, Rhode Island. Mrs. Cooper died January 7, 1891.

 

 

(Picture of Thomas M. Pension)

 

THOMAS M. PENSION, superintendent of the Meadowbrook farms, belonging to the Thomas Wanamaker estate, and comprising more than a thousand acres, is a native of the Isle of Jersey, England, one of the Channel islands. He was born February 14, 1859, a son of Thomas and Mare (Greeley) Pension, natives of county Waterford, Ireland. Thomas Pension (father) died November 17, 1900, and his remains were interred in the Mt. Moriah cemetery, Isle of Jersey. He was survived by his wife, who still resides on the Isle of Jersey.

Thomas M. Pension was educated in the First National School, Isle of Jersey. On attaining years of manhood he was employed for a time in butchering and farming, but subsequently engaged in the pursuit of a mariner, in which capacity he made twenty-one voyages across the Atlantic ocean. In 1880 he located in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, and was appointed head herdsman for the care of imported Jersey cattle, which position he filled for a period of ten years. During this time he was frequently called upon to act in the capacity of judge at county and other fairs, his thorough knowledge of cattle enabling him to discriminate as to the value of different breeds and to determine which of a number of competitors for prizes was entitled to receive it. During the following four years he was head herdsman and farmer at the Cloverdell Stock Farms of A. H. Moore, at Colmar, Montgomery county, on the North Pennsylvania Railroad. In 1904 he entered upon his present position as superintendent of the Meadowbrook farms, and the excellent appearance of the estate bears ample testimony to his competency and capability. His business career has borne unmistakable evidence of ability, natural and acquired, and the reliable manner in which he performs his duties has been a potent factor in the large degree of prosperity which has attended his well directed efforts. He is a man of progressive instincts, quick to adopt new methods of proved utility, and as a good citizen and an upright man he bears an enviable record.

At Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, January 27, 1891, by the Rev. Fattier Gallagher, Mr. Pension was married to Delia Cooney, who was born March 30, 1870, in county Galway, Ireland, a daughter of John and Hannah (Hynes) Cooney. The issue of this union was five children: Mary Ellen, born February 7, 1892, died at the age of three weeks; Alice Marie, born April 9, 1893; Thomas John, born November 25, 1894; Anna M., born August 15, 1896; and John William, born February 1, 1899. Mr. and Mrs. Pension are communicants of the Roman Catholic church. They and their children attend the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. The family are highly respected in the community in which they reside.

 

(Page 217)

 

 

WILLIAM DEPREFONTAINE, a descendant of an old family in Pennsylvania, is a successful farmer of Jarrettown. He is a native of Bucks county, where he was born April 12, 1855. He was reared on a farm, and educated in the public schools, spending one year also at the Millersville State Normal School, in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. He taught school for some time.

Mr. DePrefontaine is the son of John and Mary (Megargee) DePrefontaine, his father being a native of Germantown, and his mother of Philadelphia. John DePrefontaine was the son of Benjamin and Phebe (Walter) DePrefontaine, both of Philadelphia county. The family came to the United States during colonial times, being of French origin and Huguenots in religious faith.

Benjamin DePrefontaine was a teacher, as was also his father, John DePrefontaine. Benjamin was also a civil engineer, and did much surveying in Philadelphia county in his day. He was a teacher, and, later, for many years, a justice of the peace.

He attended Friends' Meeting. He was widely known and highly Respected. He died at Germantown at an advanced age. His children: Rebecca (Mrs. Paradee); John (father of William DePrefontaine); Ann E. (Mrs. Samuel Jones).

John DePrefontaine was reared in Germantown, where the family were highly respected members of the community. In his youth he worked at cabinet making, but soon engaged in farming near Germantown. On his marriage he rented a farm, and soon afterwards removed to Bucks county, where he purchased a farm and remained three years, when he sold it and removed to Jarrettown, in Upper Dublin township, in 1856. He purchased a farm which he cultivated until 1873, when he retired to Jarrettown, where he built a home. He died there in 1886. He was a practical and successful farmer. He became a Methodist.

In politics he was a Whig, and later a Republican but never aspired to political emoluments. He served for a time as a member of the Upper Dublin school board. He was one of the founders of the Jarrettown Methodist church, and was a member of the building committee and of the board of trustees. His wife survived him and died in September, 1894. She was a daughter of Joseph and Mary (Rorer) Megargee. The Megargee family were among the early settlers of Germantown, being paper manufacturers by occupation. Joseph and his wife were natives of Philadelphia county. He was reared a farmer but later engaged in hotel keeping, his inn being a popular stopping place for travelers. He retained the homestead farm, however, on which he died. The Megargees were of Scotch-Irish descent, and Presbyterians in religious faith. His widow died at Jarrettown while on a visit to her,daughter, Mrs. DePrefontaine. She belonged to the Rorer family, of German descent, their ancestor having come to this country in colonial times, settling at or near Germantown.

The children of Joseph and Mary Megargee: Margaret (Mrs. B. Smith); Mary, mother of William DePrefontaine; Caroline (Mrs. Z. Engle); Annetta (Mrs. A. Engle); Elizabeth (Mrs. R. A. Taylor); William, a farmer; Joseph, a teacher, and later in life a farmer; Albert, a farmer, and later in life a merchant; Maria, wife of N. C. James, a prominent attorney of Doylestown, Pennsylvania; Daniel, who died young.

The children of John and Mary DePrefontaine: Charles, the well known merchant at Blue Bell, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this work; Walter, died at the age of nineteen years; Annie, Mrs. Francis Houpt; Albert, a business man; Joseph in childhood; William, subject of this sketch; Mary, Mrs. S. Houpt.

 

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William DePrefontaine was reared on the farm and remained with his parents until he had grown to manhood. He married in 1883, and then settled down to farming on the homestead near Jarrettown, and remained on the farm until 1895, when he bought a tract of three acres of land and a house in Jarrettown. He now follows gardening, and attends the Philadelphia markets. He clerked for a time in his brother's store at Blue Bell when he was a young man. In politics he is a Republican, and has held the position of school director, having been president and secretary of that body. He was reared a Methodist, and has always manifested a deep interest in church affairs. He has been trustee, and also superintendent of the Sunday school for many years. When the church and public school were rebuilt he was a member of the committees in charge of the work.

Mr. DePrefontaine married Miss Ida A. Tyson, a native of Philadelphia, but reared in Upper Dublin township. She was born in 1858, and was a daughter of Ephraim and Anna (Maust) Tyson. The Tysons are an old colonial family, having descended from an ancestor who came originally from Holland and settled at Germantown. Ephraim was a shoemaker and farmer living in Upper Dublin township, and later in life in Horsham township, Montgomery county. He died in 1897. He attended Friends' meeting, and was widely known and respected. His wife survives and resides on the homestead in Horsham. She is about seventy years of age, and is a member of the Baptist church. Their children: Ida A., wife of Mr. DePrefontaine; Samuel, a farmer: Robert E., a farmer; John, residing on the homestead; William J., a market gardener; Albert A., a farmer; Anna (Mrs. J. Reifsnyder); Hannah, who resides at home; Charles P., a farmer.

The children of Mr. and Mrs. William DePrefontaine: Ethel, born in 1890; Minnie, born in 1894, both attending school.

 

 

ISAAC THOMAS, deceased, for ten years prior to his death a highly respected and esteemed citizen of the village of Harmanville, Pennsylvania, was born on the old homestead, near Pottstown, in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, January 23, 1833. His grandfather, Jacob Thomas, was born in the vicinity of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, where he followed the occupation of farming. Among his children was John Thomas, father of Isaac Thomas, who also followed the occupation of farming.

Isaac Thomas was educated in the schools adjacent to his home, and early in life served an apprenticeship at the trade of blacksmith. In 1845 he removed to Whitemarsh township, where he was successfully engaged in blacksmithing, and in 1871 he located in the village of Harmanville, where he conducted a blacksmith shop up to the time of his death. He was treasurer of the Whitemarsh Building and Loan Association for a number of years. He held membership in the Methodist church, which he attended regularly, and he was an active leader of the Bible class for a quarter of a century. In politics he was a stanch Democrat, always taking an active interest in the success of his party. He was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

On March 13, 1853, Mr. Thomas married Miss Frances A. Colflesh, who was born in West Conshohocken, Lower Merion township, August 18, 1827, one of nine children born to John and Hannah (Otey) Colflesh, both of whom have been long deceased. Two children were born to them, as follows: Walter S., born January 16, 1858, died November 11, 1876; and Clara W., born December 17, 1861, who resides with her mother. Mr. Thomas, who was a straightforward and conscientious man in all the affairs of life, a good citizen, a dutiful husband, and an indulgent father, died January 16, 1881, survived by his wife and daughter Clara W. Thomas. Mrs. Thomas is an active woman for her years, and is thoroughly respected in the community in which she lives.

 

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HARRY C. MESSINGER, one of the best known business men of Conshohocken, is the son of Henry and Katharine (Yeager) Messinger. He was born at Conshohocken, July 31, 1856.

Henry Messenger (father) was a native of Saerbrueck, Germany, where he was born in 1822. He was well educated, attending first the ordinary neighborhood schools and afterward a more pretentious pay school where he acquired a knowledge of the higher branches of learning. He then became in apprentice at the trade of a gunsmith and locksmith, at that time regarded as a very lucrative business. He continued at this occupation until the year 1852, when he decided to come to America. He landed at Philadelphia, but being unable to speak the English language so as to be understood be found that he would have some difficulty in obtaining employment. He therefore proceeded to Phoenixville, where by the merest accident he succeeded in making known his capability and secured profitable employment. At one of the ironworking establishments into which he had drifted in the hope of finding work, he was watching write workmen who were endeavoring to temper a piece of machinery which they were using. After they had made several failures in the undertaking, in his broken English, he asked them to allow him to temper the piece of steel. After laughing at him for a time, they concluded that there might be something in the foreigner. The manner in which he performed the work was so satisfactory, his experience as a gunsmith enabling him to do anything of this kind readily, that he was at once given a position. He rose steadily until he held a responsible position with the Phoenix Iron Company of that place. Later he went to Philadelphia, and secured employment with the firm of Leibrandt & McDowell, remaining for some time, and removing in 1854 to Conshohocken. Mr. Messinger opened a store in that borough, which he conducted until his death. He did a large business in conjunction with his sons.

February 22, 1854, Mr. Messinger married Miss Katharine, daughter of Peter Yeager, of Phoenixville. The couple had the following children: Alma, Morris, Charles, Mary, Frank, Catherine and Harry C. The mother, Katharine (Yeager) Messinger, died January 6, 1896. Mr. Messinger died February 22, 1898. He was thoroughly honest and upright, very attentive to business, highly respected by all who knew him, and was a man of influence in his community.

Harry C. Messinger was born in Conshohocken, July 31, 1856, and was educated in the public schools of that village. On reaching manhood he entered his father's stove and hardware establishment on Fayette street, where a large business was done. He remained with his father until his death, when he and his brother Frank succeeded to the business which they still conduct, being among the most successful business men in that borough. Harry C. Messinger married, December 24, 1884, Miss Fannie L. Fretz, daughter of Aaron and Sarah (Longacre) Fretz, of Jeffersonville, Montgomery county. They have no children.

Mr. Messinger is independent in politics, but has never sought or held office, preferring, as did his father, to remain out of politics, and give strict attention to business. He and his family attend the Presbyterian church.

 

 

ADOLPH FARENWALD As the name indicates, the ancestors of Adolph Farenwald were of German origin. His parents, Robert and Matilda Farenwald, were both natives of Stettin, Germany. The father spent his entire life in his native land, where he was a manufacturer of cutlery.

Adolph Farenwald, a prosperous florist of Abington township, Roslyn, in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, was born in Stettin, in the province of Pommern, Germany, December 23, 1862. He acquired his education in his native country, and also gained a knowledge of the business of a florist.

In March, 1885, he emigrated to America, settling in Philadelphia, where he continued his occupation of florist. Later he became foreman for Joseph Heacock, of Wyncote, near Jenkintown. In 1898 he purchased his present nursery of six acres and at once began business on his own account. In his present spacious greenhouses, covered by 45,000 feet of glass, Mr. Farenwald is constantly adding to his facilities for the production of beautiful flowers, making a specialty of growing two varieties of roses, American Beauty and Liberty, which disposes of in New York and Philadelphia- having achieved quite a reputation for himself in this line. The is a member of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society of Philadelphia, the Florist Club of Philadelphia, the American Rose Society, the National Society of American Florists, and the Turn-Verein, of Philadelphia.

Mr. Farenwald married, in Stettin, July 28, 1884, Martha Sievert, a native of Alt-Dam, in the Province of Pommern, Germany, born April 30, 1861, a daughter of Edward and Emma (Leedle) Sievert. Mr. and Mrs. Farenwald have four sons: Hans, born August 12, 1887; Benno, born July 9, 1889; Edward, born April 27, 1891; Arno Sievert, born November 5, 1900. In his political views, Mr. Farenwald is very liberal. In religious faith he is a Lutheran.

Robert Farenwald (father) was born in Stettin, July 9, 1835. He was the son of Edward and Marie Farenwald. Matilda (Kuntz) Farenwald (mother) was born in Stettin, September 9, 1837. She was the daughter of John W. and Teresa (Lejeune) Kuntz, the latter being of French ancestry. She came to America in 1892, and resides in Abington township.

 

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(Picture of James B. Smith)

 

JAMES B. SMITH, the widely known and popular landlord of the Jenkintown House, at Jenkintown, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, one of the leading hotels in that section of the state, was born in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, July 14, 1836. He is the son of Robert and Rosanna (Barron) Smith, both of whom were natives of Bucks county, where the father followed the occupation of farming; which proved a remunerative means of livelihood.

At the age of eight years James B. Smith removed with his widowed mother to Lambertville, New Jersey. There he acquired a public school education which qualified him for the duties and activities of life. He served an apprenticeship at the trade of car building and subsequently pattern making, and was engaged in one or the other of these occupations until 1879, achieving a certain degree of financial success. In that year he purchased the Jenkintown House, and has ever since conducted it as a first class hotel. By paying the strictest attention to the comfort and safety of his regular patrons and transient guests, the house is well patronized by the traveling public, and has proved to be a profitable investment. Mr. Smith is also interested in other enterprises, and for a number of years has served in the capacity of director of the Fox Chase National Bank.

While residing in Lambertville, New Jersey, Mr. Smith was a member of the council, serving one year as president of the same, and also filled other important and responsible offices of a local character. In Jenkintown he has been for four terms a member of the town council, and has also served four successive years as burgess, an honor seldom falling to the lot of any incumbent of the office. He is a member of Peace and Love Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Jenkintown, and the Knights of Pythias.

 

 

FRANK E. YERKES, M. D., of Ambler, is descended from one of the oldest families in eastern Pennsylvania, who settled originally in Lucks county. He is a nephew of Hon. Harman Yerkes, for many years judge of the court at Doylestown.

Frank E. Yerkes was born on the family homestead in Warminster township, Bucks county, on January 9, 1870. He acquired his education in the public schools and later in the high school. He attended for a time the state normal school at West Chester, from which he graduated in 1890. He taught school for a time, and commenced the study of medicine, Dr. Thomas Reading, of Hatboro, being his preceptor. After six months spent in this way he attended medical college, and spent the vacations with his preceptor. He then entered Hahnemann Homeopathic Medical College in Philadelphia in 1891, taking a three-year course, and graduating in 1894, receiving a diploma in medicine and surgery. In October, 1894, he opened an office in the borough of Ambler, where he has established himself on a firm basis, giving all his attention to the duties of his profession, and achieving great success, his good business methods winning the confidence of the entire community. He is a member of the Medical Club of the Twenty-third Ward of Philadelphia; of the Tri-County Medical Society of Chester, Delaware and Montgomery, of the Homeopathic Medical Society of the state of Pennsylvania, and of the Hahnemann Alumni of Philadelphia. He is thoroughly up-to-date in his profession, and is building up a large and lucrative practice.

 

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Dr. Yerkes is the son of Alfred and Mary A. (Hazlett) Yerkes. The father is a native of Bucks county, and the mother of Montgomery. Alfred Yerkes is a son of Stephen and Amy H. (Montanye) Yerkes, both of Bucks county. The Montanyes are of Scotch-Irish descent. Stephen Yerkes was a son of Harman Yerkes. Stephen Yerkes was a well known farmer, and a prominent member of the Baptist church. The children of Stephen and Amy Yerkes: Thomas, engaged in gold mining in Mexico, where he is manager of the Yerkes Mining Company; Stephen, a farmer at the old homestead; Margaret (Mrs. Captain George Bucher); Harman, ex-judge of the Bucks county courts; Alfred (father); Edwin, died in Arizona, where he was engaged in gold mining. Amy Yerkes, their mother, was a daughter of Thomas D. Montanye, an ordained Baptist clergyman who came from New York to Southampton, Bucks county, where he was for many years the pastor of the old Southampton Baptist church, serving very acceptably in that position.

Alfred Yerkes, father of Dr. Yerkes, was reared in Bucks county, and is a farmer by occupation, raising large quantities of hay. He has never aspired to public office, preferring to keep close to his occupation of agriculture, and make a success of it. He also snakes a specialty of raising stock. In politics he is a Democrat, and attends the Baptist church.

Mrs. Yerkes is the only child of Samuel M. and Cornelia (Vanartsdalen) Hazlett. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Yerkes: George H., a farmer; Dr. Frank E., subject of this sketch; Alfred, died young; Cora M., died at sixteen years of age; Margaret (Mrs. L. B. Selner); Adeline B., unmarried; Amy, a teacher. The mother is a member of the Hatboro Baptist church. Dr. Frank E. Yerkes married, in September, 1901, Miss Sue May Carpenter, of Mauch Chunk, who was born January 9, 1880. She is the daughter of Samuel and Alice (Wilhelm) Carpenter, of Mauch Chunk. He is a jeweler, and a prominent citizen of that place. He is a Democrat in politics, and has served as a school director. Both himself and his wife are members of the Methodist church. Their children: Hattie (Mrs. I. M. Church); Sue M., wife of Dr. Yerkes; James and Margaret. The child of Dr. Frank E. and Mrs. Sue Yerkes: Harman Alfred, born October 20, 1902. Both parents are members of the Presbyterian church.

Dr. Yerkes is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and of the Ancient Order of the Knights of the Mystic Chain. The maternal grandfather of Dr. Yerkes, Samuel Hazlett, was a charter member of Hatboro Lodge, I. O. O. F., and was treasurer of that lodge for more than a half century.

The Yerkes family made their appearance in Bucks county nearly a hundred and eighty years ago, locating in Warminster township, where Harman Yerkes purchased 181 acres of the Noble tract, on the Street road. The name is probably of Holland Dutch origin, and has been variously spelled Jerghes, Gerjhes, Gerches, Yerkas, and otherwise, the orthography being apparently a puzzle to their neighbors until it became authoritatively settled in its present form, which it is likely to retain in future. About the year 1700 two brothers came froth Europe and located on the Schuylkill river. Anthony was one of the three burgesses of Germantown, December 28, 1703. The other brother was Herman or Harman. The brothers were naturalized in 1729.

Harman finally located on the Pennypack creek, in Moreland township, now Montgomery county, near Shellmire's mill. He had two sons, Harman and Anthony. Harman married and had eight sons, and Anthony did so and had seven children, four sons and three daughters. One son, Joseph Yerkes, married Sarah Purdy, descended from the Southampton family of that name. Many of the descendants of Anthony Yerkes, along With the Purdys, removed to Seneca county, New York, in 1799, and some of them afterwards to Michigan, where they now form a numerous family. The Warminster family to which Dr. Frank E. Yerkes belongs, descended directly from Harman, a grandson of the first Harman who settled on Pennypack, through the two Harmans and Stephen, as already stated. The Yerkes family furnished a number of soldiers in the Revolutionary war, the rolls having on them the names of John, Silas, Harman, Elias, George, Anthony, Jonathan and Stephen, of Philadelphia county, which included Montgomery at that time, and Edward and Henry, of Bucks county. Seven of eight sons of Harman appear to have entered the service of their country in those trying times.

 

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WILLIAM S. ACUFF, the well-known attorney-at-law of Ambler, is descended from au old family in that section of Montgomery county, Pennsylvania. He was born in Philadelphia, October 8, 1871, but was reared in Montgomery county.

He was educated in the public schools, where he acquired a knowledge of elementary branches which was supplemented by a course at a business college. He commenced the study of law in 1893 with Robert H. Hinkley, a well known attorney of Philadelphia, remaining with him two years, and then entering the law department of the University of Pennsylvania, in which he continued until 1897. He took a general course in the office of Mr. Hinkley for admission to the bar, and was admitted to practice in the courts of Montgomery county, at Norristown, in July, 1897. He had previously been admitted in Philadelphia, so that he has been engaged in the active practice of law since.

In 1895 he opened a real estate office in Ambler, but has abandoned that branch of business in view of the fact that his legal practice absorbs all his time and attention. He has offices in Norristown as well as in Ambler, and is entitled to practice in all courts, including the supreme court of Pennsylvania, and is rapidly building tip an extensive practice.

In politics Mr. Acuff is a Republican, and he is an active supporter of the party and its principles. He has been assistant postmaster at Ambler, and has always been active in promoting the interests of the place. He has been a member of the town council of Ambler for three years, and president of that body, and has also been borough solicitor for several years. He is now solicitor for the school board of Ambler. Mr. Acuff has been a prominent candidate for the Republican nomination for district attorney of Montgomery county, although he did not receive it. In religious faith he is a believer in the Reformed mode of worship, and is a member of the church of that denomination at Fort Washington. Fraternally, he is a past master of Fort Washington Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, is also a member of the Masonic chapter at that place, of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and of other fraternal societies.

Mr. Acuff has been twice married. His first wife was Miss Laura H. Godshall, whom he married in 1896. She was the daughter of John C. and Mary (Hackman) Godshall, of Lansdale. They had one child, Mary. Mrs. Acuff died in 1898. She was a member of the Reformed church. Her parents are both deceased. Mr. Acuff married (second wife) Catherine E. C. Cooper, daughter of Dr. A. X. and Elizabeth (Ridge) Cooper. The Coopers are an old and highly respected family of Bucks county. Dr. Cooper, father of Mrs. Acuff, died in 1898. The children of Dr. and Mrs. Cooper: Dr. W. R., of Point Pleasant, in Bucks county; Dr. J. Howard; Catherine E. C., wife of Mr. Acuff. The children of Mr. and Mrs. William S. Acuff: Elizabeth, born in 1899; William S., Jr., born in 1901; Margaret, born in December, 1903. Mrs. Acuff is a member of the Reformed church.

William S. Acuff is the son of Alfred S. and Mary (Marshall) Acuff, both of Montgomery county, Pennsylvania. Alfred Acuff was a son of William and Eliza (Scheetz) Acuff. William Acuff was a son of David Acuff. David Acuff was a son of Jacob Acuff. Jacob Acuff and his son David Acuff were both soldiers in the Revolutionary army in the war of Independence. David Acuff kept the hotel at Gwynedd for many years. Prior to that he kept the tavern at Springhouse.

Alfred S. Acuff (father) was a son of William and Eliza, and was descended from Revolutionary stock on his mother's as well as his father's side. She was the daughter of General Henry Scheetz, of the third generation of the family in America.

 

(Page 223)

 

The Scheetz family are of German origin, and their ancestors were among the pioneers of Montgomery county. Several members of the family participated in the war for independence. General Scheetz was quite a young man, but he held the position of captain. In the second war with Great Britain in 1812-15 he acquired the title of general. In peace as in war, he was among the most prominent men of Montgomery county, having been one of the organizers of the Montgomery National Bank. Henry Scheetz, father of the General, was one of the first judges in Montgomery county.

Alfred Acuff was most of his life a resident of Montgomery county, and died in Ambler, in 1888. For many years he was engaged in mercantile business at that place, and later conducted a hotel. Still later he was a stock drover, and carried on an extensive business. He was a Republican in politics, but never aspired to political preferment. His wife is living, and resides in Roxborough. She is a daughter of John Marshall, of Gwynedd, whose father was a Revolutionary soldier. The Marshalls were an early family in Pennsylvania, of Irish descent. John Marshall had four children in all.

The children of Alfred and Mary Acuff: Elizabeth A., wife of Dr. Shelly, of Ambler; John M., a chemist; William S., subject of this sketch; Walter, a banker and broker of Philadelphia; Margaret, Mrs. E. Flanagan, whose husband was a wool merchant; Alfred S., a machinist; Frances M., unmarried; Clarence S., engaged in the wool business. Alfred Acuff was a member of the Episcopal church. His wife is a Baptist.

 

 

H. OSCAR YOUNG, the present incumbent of the office of postmaster at Plymouth Meeting, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, was born at White Hallville, Cheltenham township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, November 27, 1862. He is a descendant of an old and honored family who have long been resident in that section of the state. He is a grandson of John Young, who was born at Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania, and was a farmer by occupation, and a son of William S. and Mary (Buist) Young.

William S. Young (father) was born at the old homestead in Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania, in 1844. His early education was acquired in the schools adjacent to his home, and this was supplemented by attendance at the Academy at Norristown, where he was under the tuition of Professor John Locke. The greater portion of his active career was devoted to agricultural pursuits, and by practical and progressive methods he achieved a large degree of success. He was an active Republican in politics, although not an office seeker, and refused to be a candidate on several occasions, preferring to attend strictly to business. His death occurred in the year 1893, and his widow, Mary (Buist) Young, is still living, a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

H. Oscar Young was educated in the public schools of Norristown, Pennsylvania, and at the age of twenty-two years located at Plymouth Meeting, where he accepted a position in the store of Hall Brothers, whose business he ultimately purchased and has since conducted very successfully. In addition to the duties devolving upon him in the management of this enterprise, he has served in the capacity of postmaster at Plymouth fleeting, his term of office being under the administrations of two Republican Presidents -the late William McKinley, and Theodore Roosevelt. Mr. Young is an active Republican, believing thoroughly in the principles of the party and advocating their enforcement. He is a member of the Masonic Order, being affiliated with Fritz Lodge, No. 420, of Conshohocken, and Hutchinson Commandery, No. 32, Knights Templar, of Norristown.

 

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October 25, 1900, Mr. Young married Mary (Wilson) Swartley, born December 1, 1869, widow of Marshall Swartley (deceased) and their children are: Evelyn M., born February 2, 1902, and Arthur Steinmetz, born July 30, 1903. Mr. Young and his wife attend the Baptist church at Cold Point, Whitemarsh township. Mrs. Young is a great-granddaughter of John Wilson, one of the early residents in that section of Montgomery county, a granddaughter of George Wilson, and a daughter of Oliver S. Wilson. George Wilson (grandfather) married Sarah Schofield, and they were the parents of the following named children: Hannah F., Martha, and Oliver S. Oliver S. Wilson (father) was born in Whitemarsh township, Montgomery county, in 1811. He was educated at Friends' schools in the vicinity, and the greater portion of his active business career was devoted to farming. He married Elizabeth Mills, daughter of Mitchell and Catherine (Hickman) Mills, of Philadelphia, and their children are: George M., who married Alice Rhoads; and Mary, aforementioned as the wife of H. Oscar Young. Oliver S. Wilson died in 1879.

 

 

(Picture of Lewis M. Lownes)

 

LEWIS M. LOWNES, of Norristown, Pennsylvania, is a native of Centre Square, where he was born August 15, 1867, on the family homestead at that place. He was educated at the public schools of the township of Whitpain, Worcester and Gwynedd townships, and in the Loller Academy, a famous school at Hatboro, in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania. He then served an apprenticeship to hat making in West Perkiomen township. Mr. Lownes went to Fall River, Massachusetts, where he was employed for several years in manufacturing hats in one of the extensive establishments at that place, and later was similarly engaged at Newark, New Jersey, and Orange Valley, Connecticut, remaining there some time, all of which was spent in his occupation of hat making.

In 1890 he came to Norristown, in his native county, and opened an establishment for manufacturing hats on East Main street, where he is now permanently located, having purchased the property in which he conducts his business, one of the most eligibly located business places in Norristown. Mr. Lownes has been very successful in his business, having provided himself with the latest machinery for doing first class work. He has acquired an excellent reputation for the product he turns out, and because of his up-to-date methods in general. His patrons are among the best and most substantial citizens of Norristown and of the surrounding country. Mr. Lownes is not only a thoroughly wide awake business man, but he is an inventor of considerable note, and many patents have been granted to him in this and other countries for his improvements in the manufacture of hats.

In politics Mr. Lownes is an active Republican, never missing an election, although he is too much devoted to his business interests to seek the emoluments of official position. He is unmarried. Fraternally he is a member of the Order of Knights of the Golden Eagle, and of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics. He is a Lutheran in religion. (For the early history of the Lownes family see the biographical sketch of Robert C. Lownes, elsewhere in this work).

 

 

JOHN W. FORREST, for some years engaged in the hotel business in Conshohocken, is a native of that village, where he was born October 30, 1859. He is the son of William B. and Bridget (Driscoll) Forrest.

William B. Forrest (father) was a native of county Cork, Ireland, born in 1828. He was educated in the common schools of his native country. and after leaving school learned the trade of engineer, which he followed all his life. He harried in Ireland, Bridget Driscoll, of the same neighborhood as himself. After their marriage they decided to come to America and seek their fortunes in the new world. They landed in Philadelphia, and soon came to Conshohocken, where Mr. Forrest secured a position as engineer with the Alan Wood Company. He held his position for many years and stood high in his employers' esteem, being regarded as a model engineer and machinist. He died in Conshohocken in 1879. In politics Mr. Forrest was a Republican, and in religious faith an adherent of the Catholic church. Mr. and Mrs. Forrest had the following children Mary J., Annie, Sarah, James, William, Helen, Willamina, Edward and John W., the last named the subject of this sketch.

 

(Page 225)

 

John W. Forrest was educated in the public schools of Conshohocken. After leaving school he learned the trade of baker, pursuing that occupation for three years or more, and later opened a hotel in Conshohocken. He remained there for several years, and then removed to Reading, Pennsylvania, where he conducted a hotel very successfully for several years, and then retired, but later decided to return to Conshohocken and open a hotel at the same place where he first commenced in the business, which he did. He is a Republican in politics, and has been frequently solicited to become a candidate for office, but has always declined on the ground that it would interfere with his business. In religious faith Mr. Forrest is a member of the Catholic church. He is an upright man and a public-spirited citizen.

Mr. Forrest married, November 27, 1894, Elizabeth, daughter of John Rhoads, a weaver, of Delaware county, Pennsylvania. The couple have the following children: Alice, Elizabeth and Jennie.