A history of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and its people; Volume II, Part 49

Author: Jordan, John W. (John Woolf), 1840-1921; Lewis Historical Publishing Co
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: New York, Lewis Historical Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 468


USA > Pennsylvania > Delaware County > A history of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and its people; Volume II > Part 49


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(The Worrall Line).


(I) Peter Worrall, a native of Cheshire county, England, purchased. March 21, 1681, of William Penn, five hundred acres of land in Marple town- ship. Delaware county. Pennsylvania. He cleared and improved this and, in 1699, conveyed one hundred and sixty acres of it to his son, Peter.


(11) Peter (2), son of Peter ( 1) Worrall, the immigrant, died at an ad- vanced age in 1749.


(!HF) Jonathan, son of Peter (2) Worrall, was an orthodox Quaker. In 1752 he purchased one hundred and fifty acres of land in Ridley township, Delaware county, Pennsylvania. He married, 1727, Mary Taylor, who was a daughter of an early provincial legislator.


(IV) William, son of Jonathan and Mary (Taylor) Worrall, was born December 29, 1730, died December 23. 1826. He had nine brothers and sis- ters, of whom four lived to more than ninety years, and one attained the ad- vanced age of one hundred and four years. He built a large stone house on the land purchased by his father in Ridley township, and so excellent was the construction of this, that it is still in use by some of his descendants. He also built the first barn in that section of the country, and people came from far and wide to see it. During the time of the revolution, the British were destroy- ing millstones wherever they could. William Worrall's neighbor, a miller,. came to him for advice as to how he could protect his millstones. Mr. Wor- rall advised him to bring them to him and he would conceal them in his hay- mow ; this was done and the ruse was a decided success, the stones being saved.


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Later the British were quartered on the farm, and Mr. Worrall was in great alarm lest they discover the millstones, as they were using the hay for fodder, but they remained undiscovered. as the troops were called to the battle of Brandywine before a sufficient quantity of hay had been used. The county treasurer brought the public funds to Mr. Worrall, and he buried them under the path which led from his house to the barn. Before the stone residence was built they lived in a log cabin and some of its doors with latch strings are still in use, and they are still "hanging out." The locks on some of the doors, which were sent from England, had been put on upside down, and they are used in this condition up to the present time. Mr. Worrall was a Quaker, but, although it was against the belief of this denomination to enter into warfare, his brother Jacob took part in the battle of Trenton against the Hessians. Mr. Worrall married Phoebe, daughter of Nathaniel and Ann Grubb, of Grubb's Mills. Chester county, Pennsylvania : Nathaniel Grubb was for ten years a member of the continental congress.


(V) Nathaniel, son of William and Phoebe (Grubb) Worrall, was born August 14, 1769, died in January. 1836. He married Mary, daughter of Jona- than and Edith (Daws) Paul. Children of Nathaniel and Mary (Paul) Wor- rall : 1. Edith Paul. 2. Jonathan. 3. William. 4. Phoebe. 5. Eliza. Edith Paul Worrall married Jacob Parry and had children: Mary Worrall, Eliza- beth and Phoebe Ann. Mary Worrall Parry married William P. Lukens ( see Lukens).


MCCULLOUGH Cornelius Mccullough, of Lansdowne, Delaware coun- ty, Pennsylvania, a highly respected citizen of that place, descends from honorable, hardworking Irish forbears. The family for many generations has been settled in county Donegal, Ireland, and there the name Mccullough stands for integrity. uprightness and energy. The United States, especially Pennsylvania, has been enriched by the emi- gration of a part of it to these shores, since by its coming the members have added to the wealth of the country by their labor.


(I) John McCullough, father of Cornelius Mccullough, was born in county Donegal, Ireland, and died in 1004, in Lansdowne, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, by being run over by a train on the Pennsylvania railroad. He early began to fight life's battles, as his parents had a large family and he was among the eldest. After his marriage in Ireland he decided to come to the United States, and in 1869, he emigrated, landed in Philadelphia, and settled at Summit Hill, Pennsylvania. For a time he was forced to accept any kind of work that was offered him, and was employed in the coal mines. He later sought and received employment with the Pennsylvania railroad, remaining with that company for twenty-six years. He lived, in the meantime, at Stock- ton and Kellyville, now Burmont, Pennsylvania. Before his death he moved to Lansdowne, where he eventually met with the accident that caused his death. Both he and his wife were members of the Roman Catholic church. and the Catholic Total Abstinence Society, for twenty-nine years. and to the Kellyville Society for some years. They were devout, God-fearing people. and reared their children in the faith of their fathers. He was a staunch Democrat, and after securing his naturalization papers, he voted with and worked for the party. He was one of the best known and most liked men in his line of work, and his death was regretted alike by his company and fellow laborers. He married, in county Donegal, Anna Dougherty, born there, and died in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania. in 1905. Children: 1. Patrick, born in county Donegal. Ireland : superintendent of the Charles Gilpin Construction


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Company : resides in Philadelphia. 2. James, born in county Donegal, house painter in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania. 3. Anna, born in county Donegal, mar- ried James Shane, of Lake View, Pennsylvania. 4. Mary, born in county Donegal, widow of John Milloy, resides in Philadelphia. 5. Sarah, born in county Donegal, married Frank Bonner, died in 1899. 6. Cornelius, of whom further. Two children died young in Ireland.


(II) Cornelius Mccullough, son of John and Anna (Dougherty) Mc- Cullough, was born February 14, 1876, in Stockton, Pennsylvania. He re- ceived his education in the St. Charles School at Kellyville, Pennsylvania. and on leaving entered the employ of a silversmith in Philadelphia, where he learned thoroughly the manufacture of silverware and jewelry cases, in both of which he became expert and artistic. For three years he was thus engaged, giving his employer the greatest satisfaction. He then engaged with Gara, McGinly and Company to study practical architecture and roofing. So highly were his services appreciated that he remained in their employ for eleven years. In June. 1900, he opened up in the same line of business for himself. at Lans- downe, Pennsylvania, and met with such unprecedented success that he was emboldened to add metal work to his output. In this line he has had the greatest success, much bevond his most sanguine expectations. He keeps a force of fifteen experts constantly employed, and does a large and ever increas- ing business in Philadelphia and the suburbs, with about forty per cent. of the ontput going to Philadelphia. This is due to his sharp oversight of his plant, to his determination to succeed and his effort to reach new patrons. He is one of the progressive citizens of Lansdowne. and since locating there has as- sisted in building up its industrial fame. In politics he is independent, voting for the man he thinks best suited to the office. He has served four years as building inspector for Lansdowne and three years as chief of its fire depart- ment. Like his forbears, he is a Roman Catholic, and he and his wife are mem- bers of the St. Philomenas Church. He is a Knight of Columbus, standing high in its councils ; a member of the Order of Elks and of the Catholic Total Abstinence Society. and belongs to the Master Sheet Metal Workers, one of the important labor organizations of the state of Pennsylvania. He married, October 16, 1902, Anna M. Brown, a native of Lansdowne, and daughter of Michael Brown. Children: 1. Francis. 2. Cornelius. 3. Anna. 4. William. 5. Marie.


ENGLISH The English family of New Jersey has long been settled in that commonwealth. Behind it lies a long and interesting his- tory of persecution and resistance, of daring and accomplish- ment that reads like a romance from the pen of Sir Walter Scott or James Fenimore Cooper. AAn ancestor was a co-religionist of John Bunyan, the in- spired shoemaker, and only escaped imprisonment with him by leaving Eng- land for Scotland, and sailing thence for the Low Country, where in a measure liberty to worship as one pleased was granted. After a time he went to Swit- zerland, remained there for a year or two, but a desire to see his own country once more, his family and early friends again, drew him to his native land. For many years thereafter the English government offered a reward for his apprehension, claiming that he had incited to riot members of the various Baptist congregations. This was never proven, and as he continued to elude the vigilance of the corrupt officers of the law, he was not taken. The judg- ment was finally suspended a few months before his death. Among his de- scendants was John English, who emigrated to America in 1680. He landed in New York, there settled, farmed, married and died. One of his sons, Wil-


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liam, moved to the Colony of New Jersey, and is supposed to have founded that branch of the English family. He married in New Jersey, into a Baptist family, farmed, reared a large family, died and is buried in the state, or col- ony, as it was at that time.


(I) William English, a direct descendant of John English, the English emigrant, was born in New Jersey, near Camden. He received stich educa- tional advantages as the times afforded, and attended a good school in New York City for a term or two. Returning to New Jersey he engaged in farm- ing and subsequently became a large land owner. He died in New Jersey at the age of fifty-five. He was a well known man in his day, and one who was well liked by his neighbors. His was a high order of intelligence, and on this account he had great influence with his neighbors. He never held any politi- cal place, but could have done so had he expressed the least wish, or even the willingness to have accepted office. He was a Republican in principle, holding that that party saved the Union during the days of 1860-1805. Like his for- bears, who suffered for the sake of their consciences, he was a member of the Baptist faith, as was his wife, and supported his church in every way in his power. He married Margaret Burr, born in New Jersey, a distant connection of the Burr family from which the historic character, Aaron Burr, sprung. Children: 1. Samuel, dead. 2. John, dead. 3. Adelaide, married Charles Hopkins. 4. Mary, dead. 5. W. Frank, of whom further.


(H) W. Frank English, son of William and Margaret ( Burr ) English, was born in 1857, near Mt. Holly, New Jersey. After receiving his education in the Pemberton, New Jersey, public school, he entered, at the age of seven- teen. the employ of Strawbridge and Clothier, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and remained with them for thirty consecutive years. He received promotion and a higher salary each year until he was at last made general manager. This important post he held several years before he resigned to accept a fine posi- tion with the Tabbard Inn Book Company. He was with the latter company for some time. He then organized the Keystone Fibre Company, with a plant at Chester, Pennsylvania. Of this he was elected president and general man- ager immediately after its incorporation. These positions he held with credit to himself and profit to the company until his health failed, when he resigned. He disposed of his interests in 1910, retired from active participation in the larger affairs of life, and now lives in his own home on West Baltimore ave- nue, Lansdowne, Delaware county, Pennsylvania. In 1887 he moved to Lans- downe, and lias since resided there. He erected two double houses on West Baltimore avenue, and besides these he owns an old and historic house on Plumsted avenue. He supports the Republican party with his vote. Under that party he served, first as councilman, then burgess, and later as president of the town council ; he has always been actively interested in borough affairs and politics. He was a director of the Clifton National Bank from its organ- ization until recently, when he resigned. Since he became a citizen of Lans- downe he has been connected with every movement that was for the upbuild- ing of the place, and has largely contributed to its industrial and commercial growth. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church in Lansdowne, and he assisted in erecting the present edifice in which services are held. and has been a trustee of the same for twelve years. In 1884, he married Helen Cowperthwaite, born in Camden, New Jersey, a daughter of Samuel S. E. and Amanda (Myers) Cowperthwaite. He was born in Cam- den and she in Pemberton, New Jersey, and both descend from old English stock long planted in New Jersey. He was a real estate dealer during his latter years, but in his young manhood he was in the mercantile business.


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Children of Mr. and Mrs. English: 1. Helen, educated in Swarthmore Pre- paratory School and at Drexel. 2. W. Frank Jr., a contractor. 3. Herbert (" .. a student in the Lansdowne High School.


John P. Gallagher, a worthy citizen of Lansdowne. Dela-


GALLAGHER ware county, Pennsylvania, is a fine example of what energy, pluck and a quick mind will accomplish for a man in this country, especially in Pennsylvania. He is of the first generation born on American soil, but yields to no one in his allegiance to the flag and to the institutions of this country.


(I) Neil Gallagher was born in county Donegal, Ireland, and died. in 1899. in Kellyville, Delaware county, Pennsylvania. His education was re- ceived in the public and parochial schools of his native place. In 1848, while vet a young and unmarried man, he emigrated to the United States, with the laudable determination to better his condition, and located in Delaware county. With that unshakable persistence for which the Gaelic race is known, he quick- ly adapted himself to the new conditions surrounding him, overcame obstacles and made opportunities overlooked by others. After his marriage, which oc- curred shortly after taking up his residence in the United States, he moved to Kellyville, Delaware county, where he was a dairyman for thirty-five years. He was one of the best known and most universally liked men in his particular line of endeavor, made so by his close attention to business, his willingness to accommodate his patrons, his unfailing good humor and keen, though kindly. Irish wit. After qualifying for citizenship in the United States and receiving his credentials, he aligned himself with the Democratic party. and thereafter voted with it and worked for it when the occasion arose. He never held, nor desired, office, contenting himself with assisting in placing the best man in it as he saw it. He and his family were devoted adherents of the Roman Catholic church, a faith inherited through a long line of Irish ancestors which upheld the church at any and all times. He was a bright member of the Catholic To- tal Abstinence Brotherhood, having a record of fifty years as a consistent ad- herent of its rigid rules. When he departed from Ireland in 1848 he left be- hind Margaret Haggerty, born in county Donegal in 1832, who promised that she would join him in the new country as soon as he could make a home for two. She came in 1849, and they were married immediately after she landed. The two young people moved to Kellyville, Pennsylvania, where they estab- lished a home, lived, and where he died. She lives at the present time (1913) in Lansdowne, at the ripe old age of eighty-one, surrounded by her children and many friends that she made in the days of her young womanhood. Chil- dren : 1. Mary, at home with mother. 2. Edward, a dairyman in Lansdowne. 3. Charles, died in 1912. 4. Susan, died aged twenty-eight years. 5. Theresa, unmarried, at home. 6. John P., of whom further. 7. Sarah, unmarried. makes home with brother, John P. 8. Joseph, connected with automobile garage in Chester, Pennsylvania. 9. Maggie, died aged six. 10. James, pro- prietor of automobile garages in Chester and Lansdowne. 11. Barnard, con- nected with garage in Chester.


(II) John P. Gallagher, son of Neil and Margaret ( Haggerty) Galla- gher, was born March 14. 1865. corner of Baltimore and Lansdowne avenues. Lansdowne, Delaware county, Pennsylvania. After attending the parochial school, and the public school, in Kellyville and Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania. he was brought face to face with the proposition of self support. Looking about for employment he decided upon a trade, and consequently learned that of brick laying. In this he worked for fifteen years, becoming an adept, and


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there is scarcely a modern house in Lansdowne that is not the work of his deft hands. For one year he was engaged in business for himself as contractor, during which time he achieved a quick success. In 1907 he was offered, and accepted, the position as superintendent of the Lansdowne branch of the ex- tensive James garage interests. The present garage was transformed from a carriage shop in 1906 to its present use to meet the ever growing demand for the handling of motor cars and automobile supplies, and was the first es- tablished in Delaware county. Mr. Gallagher is thoroughly at home in the business, being of a natural mechanical turn of mind, and he handles with facil- ity the Buick, Oakland and Metz cars which his firm sells to the public. In the selling line he is invaluable, possessing as he does all of an Irishman's persuasiveness, combined with a determination to give the utmost satisfaction in every case. There is also a repair shop attached to the garage, and the sup- plies kept are such as are found in all large cities in places of the kind, which comes under Mr. Gallagher's immediate supervision. Long since he estab- lished himself in the friendly regard of his fellow townsmen, and after becom- ing superintendent of the James Garage Company he has been brought in close contact with them, their admiration for his business ability has increased, and he stands today one of the substantial men of the community. Since reaching his majority he has voted with the Democratic party, but has never held nor aspired to any office in the gift of his fellow citizens. With his wife he is a member of the Roman Catholic faith, and he is a Knight of Columbus and a member of the Catholic Total AAbstinence Brotherhood. In 1903 he married Rose Murray, born in Ireland, the daughter of Michael Murray. Children : I. John. 2. Francis. 3. Mary. 4. James. 5. Rose.


LUKENS The Lukens family, which came to this country from Wales, is one of the old and substantial ones of Pennsylvania, and numbers among its representatives some of the leading men of


the state.


(I) Levi Lukens came to Delaware county, Pennsylvania, from Ply- mouth, Montgomery county, in the same state, and engaged in the business of tanning and currying on the Seller's property on West Chester road, where he was located for many years. He then purchased the Ashurst property on the Line road, and cultivated it as a farm. He married Mary Jones, and their children were: I. Elizabeth, born 8 mo. 3, 1788; married Townsend Cooper and had children : Joseph, Sarah, Levi, Mary and Joanna H. 2. Sarah, born 3 mo. 4. 1790 : married Benjamin Pauling, and had children : Jesse, Elizabeth, Maggie and Mary, who all lived to advanced age. 3. Nathan, see forward. 4. Ann, born I mo. 26, 1794. 5. Hannah, born 12 mo. 25, 1795 : married Wil- liam Bryan, and had children: Elizabeth, Mary Ann and Lewis Bryan. 6. Norris, born 6 mo. 26, 1798: was unmarried and died in an accident. 7. Mar- garet, born 4 mo. 5. 1800, married Jehu Jones ; had no children. 8. Clement, born 3 mo. 31, 1802 ; married Pauline - -: no children. 9. Lewis, born 3 mo. 15, 1804; married Ann Smith and had children: Norris Jones, Elizabeth Moore and Mary Jane. 10. Gibson I., born 3 mo. 2, 1807. II. Mary R., born 5 mo. 15. 1809; married Townsend Cooper, the former husband of her de- ceased sister, Elizabeth, and had six children, of whom four died in early in- fancy, the others being: Elizabeth and Margaret. 12. Sarah, born I mo. 20, 18II, (it is hardly probable that this daughter was named Sarah, as the first Sarah was still living). 13. Abraham, born 4 mo. 11, 1814.


(II) Nathan, son of Levi and Mary (Jones) Lukens, was born II mo. 27, 1791, in Haverford township, near the Ashurst farm. He was educated in


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the common schools of his township, assisting his father when there were no. school sessions, and at a suitable age engaged altogether in farming. He pur- chased a small farm to which he added, little by little, until it comprised three hundred acres which he kept in a fine state of cultivation. It was located in Upper Darby township, and Mr. Lukens made many improvements on his property which have greatly increased the value. The present home of his son, Levi, is on a part of this land. He became a man of influence and promi- nenee in the community, and was an ardent supporter of the Republican party. In addition to his agricultural work he ran teams to Pittsburgh, which was also a profitable form of business. He was a member of the Quaker denomination, while his wife was affiliated with the Episcopal church. He married Sarah Naylor Lincoln, and had children: Levi. see forward: Elizabeth L., married John Levis, deceased, and now lives on the township line road.


(III) Levi, only son of Nathan and Sarah Naylor (Lincoln) Lukens, was born on the old Butler place in Upper Darby township, and attended school at the old Stone school for a short time: he was then sent to a private school at Norristown, and subsequently to the Pine Grove School at West Chester. When he had attained his majority, his father turned over to him the farm, and he cultivated a tract of one hundred and seventy-five acres. making a specialty of dairy farming. While formerly he conducted all opera- tions himself, he now leaves a responsible part of this business in the hands of his son, John Shaffner Lukens. The farm is fitted up in every particular in a most modern and up to date manuer, and the residence is one of the finest in the county. Mr. Lukens has lived in his present home for more than half a century. He sold fifty acres of his homestead about 1903, and this is now the delightful suburb of Observatory Hill. For years Mr. Lukens has been a leader in his township, and was one of the men who were instrumental in get- ting the present railroad facilities for the community. In 1863 Mr. Lukens as- sisted in raising a company of infantry and was out for six weeks, being at- tached to the Sixteenth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He was made second lieutenant of this company under Captain Amos Bonsall, of Up- per Darby township. Upon his return Mr. Lukens resumed his agricultural work. Mr. Lukens married Mary E., daughter of John and Mary E. (Metz- ger) Shaffner, of Lancaster City, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Shaffner died Novem- ber 8. 1897. Mr. Shaffner was one of the leading wholesale merchants of Philadelphia and was a man of great influence in his day. He was the head of the firm of Shaffner & Zeigler. He died in 1870, having retired from active business about six years prior to this event. Levi and Mary E. (Shaffner) Lukens had children : 1. Laura, born December 31, 1860, died in infancy. 2. Nathan, born May 28, 1862; married Grace Vandever, and has had children : Shaffner, born June 12, 1807: Nathan. September, 1898: Donald, June, 1900; Benjamin Vandever, January 7, 1905. Nathan Lukens was a merchant at Coatesville for a number of years, and then at Collingswood, New Jersey. where he died. June 8, 1013. 3. Mary, born June 24, 1864. now deceased. 4. John Shaffner, see forward. 5. George, born January 17, 1869. 6. Kate Estelle, born February 27, 1875.


(IV) John Shaffner, son of Levi and Mary E. (Shaffner) Lukens, was born January 29, 1867. He was educated in the Friends' Central High School and at Pierce's Business College, from which he was graduated in 1884. He took charge of the dairy farm of his father and continued in his management of it until the fifty acres were sold off, which have now become Observatory Ilill. Since that time he has had charge of the general farming industry, and has been decidedly successful in his management. He gives his earnest sup- port to the Republican party but has never aspired to public office. His relig-


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ious affiliation is with the Episcopal church. Mr. Lukens married, September 23. 1896, Elizabeth Courtney, and they have had children as follows: Mary Lindell, born July 13, 1807: Levi Courtney, born July 24, 1899: Elizabeth, November 12, 1902; Marguerite, January 8, 1906.


PANCOAST In the days of William Penn came the Pancoasts to Phila-


delphia and there founded a family illustrious in the history of the state. The present family in Springfield township, Delaware county, of which Samuel L. Pancoast is representative, count but two generations in that township, Seth Pancoast, grandfather of Samuel D., having been first a farmer of Marple, although he died in Springfield, aged eighty- seven years. Seth Pancoast married Margaretta Levis, descendant of another old family and had issue : Margaretta ; Levis: William: Samuel F., see for- ward ; Henry and Seth (2). The mother of these died in Springfield township aged eighty-six years ; all were members of the Society of Friends.




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