USA > Pennsylvania > Montgomery County > Biographical annals of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, containing genealogical records of representative families, including many of the early settlers and biographical sketches of prominent citizens, Vol. I > Part 23
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Jacob Yeakle (great-grandfather) was the son of Abraham Yeakle, and was born September 29, 1780. He married Gertrude, daughter of George Urffer, November 1, 1808. Their children were: Susan, born September 4, 1809; Joseph; Leah, born June 4, 1814; Charles, born July 7, 1817; George, born February 27, 1820; and William, born November 7, 1821.
Jacob Yeakle was a farmer and resided in Springfield township, Montgomery county, where he died May 29, 1863. His widow, Gertrude, died February 9, 1868.
Abraham Yeakle (great-great-grandfather)
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was the son of Christopher Yeakle and was born March 14, 1752. He married Sarah, daughter of Christopher Wagner, October 10, 1776, and their children were: Isaac, born November 9, 1777 ; Samuel, born February 26, 1779, and died March 5, 1779; Jacob, born September 29, 1780; Susannah, born November II, 1782; Maria, born September 4, 1784; and Christopher, born May 21, 1787, and died July 10, 1813. Sarah, wife of Abraham Yeakle, died May 28, 1833. He died June 17, 1841. He lived in Springfield township, Montgomery county, where he owned a farm.
Christopher Yeakle (great-great-great-grand- father) was the son of Regina and Christopher Yeakle. He married Maria, daughter of Susanna and Balthasar Schultz, on August 9, 1743. Their children were: Susanna, born October 8, 1744; Maria, born September 21, 1747; Regina, born October 1, 1749; Abraham, born March 14, 1752; Anna, born July 16, 1755 ; and Christopher, born October 7, 1757.
Christopher Yeakle (great-great-great-grand- father) died January 3, 1810, aged ninety-one years and nine months. His wife died March 4, 1807, aged eighty-nine years. Christopher Yeakle was about eighteen years of age when he came to Pennsylvania with his mother in 1734. His father died in Germany. He learned the trade of a cooper and in 1743 built the log house, at Cresheim, Germantown township, Philadelphia, which was his dwelling until about the time of the Revolution when he purchased the property on the summit of Chestnut Hill, and died there at a very advanced age. He was a man of consid- erable wealth. His mother, a sister of David and Christopher Heebner, came to Pennsylvania with her only son. She died April 4, 1753, aged sixty- five years and five months, her husband having died in Germany several months previous to her emigration.
The Yeakle family have always been Schwenk- felders, having settled in Pennsylvania with that colony.
S. POWELL CHILDS. There are few older or more prominent families in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, than that bearing the name
of Childs, and S. Powell Childs, now deceased, was one of its most worthy representatives. He was a descendant in the sixth generation of Henry Child, who resided in Colds Hill, in the parish of Rinderham, Hertford county, England. The family were members of the Society of Friends, and Henry Child was eminent as a writer and speaker among them. He was on close terms of acquaintance with William Penn, from whom he purchased five hundred acres of land for which he paid ten pounds sterling ; the purchase was made on January 20, 1687, and the land was then located in Plumstead, Bucks county, Pennsyl- vania. Henry Child was the father of several children and, in 1693, he accompanied his young son Cephas to America. Cephas Child was placed with a family in Philadelphia, where he learned the carpenter trade, and his father returned to England, but subsequently crossed the ocean again and finally settled in Anne Arundel county, Maryland, and in 1715 he gave the above men- tioned land to his son Cephas.
Cephas Child was married to Mary Atkinson, of Philadelphia, in 1716, and at once settled on the land bequeathed to him by his father, which was located in Bucks county, Pennsylvania. They were the parents of nine children, the sixth of whom was named Henry. He was born on the homestead in Bucks county, January I, 1725. He married Mary Shoemaker, of Gwynedd Monthly Meeting, August 3, 1750, and their children were : Sarah, John Isaac, George and Thomas.
John Isaac Child, grandfather of S. Powell Childs, was born April 3, 1755, in Plumstead, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, from which place his father removed with his family to Cheltenham, Montgomery county, same state, in 1776. On June 5, 1777, John I. Child was married to Mary Phipps, daughter of Peter Phipps, of Abington, and twelve children were the issue of this union, eight of whom attained years of manhood and womanhood, their names being as follows : Mary, Peter, Sarah, James, Tacy, Elizabeth, John and Margaret.
Peter Child, father of S. Powell Childs, was born in Cheltenham township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, in 1780. He married Sarah
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Rogers, by whom he had several children, all de- ceased. Sarah was the widow of Charles Shoe- maker, late of Whitpain township, whom she mar- ried in the year 1840. The second wife of Peter Childs was Rosanna Lee, nce Kerckbaum, of Lower Merion, Pennsylvania. One child was born of this union, S. Powell Childs.
S. Powell Childs was born June 7, 1832, in Plymouth township, Montgomery county, Penn- sylvania, on the farm upon which he resided until his death. It was then the property of Samuel Powell, his maternal granduncle. The farm was then rented and occupied by Peter Child and his family, who afterwards purchased it. Samuel Powell (granduncle) was a widower and child- less, and he made his home with the Childs fam- ily, being cared for by Mrs. Childs, his niece, until his death in April, 1844. S. Powell Childs was named in honor of his uncle, who bequeathed to him a handsome legacy, and when he became old enough he was the almost constant companion of Mr. Powell. S. Powell Childs attended school regularly from the age of six to eleven years, after which he worked until his fifteenth year on the farm during the summer months, and attended school during the winter months, and the knowl- edge thus gained was supplemented by one term in the private academy of Samuel Aaron, at Nor- ristown, Pennsylvania. At this time he was an earnest and thoughtful reader, and the books from which he derived a vast amount of knowl- edge were obtained from the Whitpain library and other sources. After the death of his father, in 1844, his time and effort were needed in assist- ing his mother in the management of the farm, and in marketing the products in the city of Phil- adelphia. Upon attaining his majority, in 1853, he purchased his father's estate of sixty acres and the old homestead, to which he added twen- ty-five acres a few years later, and he greatly im- proved this property by the erection of new and commodious buildings, and by a skillful system of husbandry.
In politics Mr. Childs was a Republican, hav- ing been one of the local founders and an active member of that party, but he never desired or sought office, although he served in various ca-
pacities. He held for a term the office of as- sistant internal revenue assessor, and in 1876 he was tendered and accepted the nomination for state senator, and although he received all the votes of his party, which was then in the minority, he was defeated. He always manifested a great interest in educational matters, was instrumental in the many improvements in the public schools, was one of the early advocates for a township high school, and later had the satisfaction of as- sisting in the organization of one. In 1856 he was elected a school director, and was the incum- bent of the office for a number of years, during which time he served as secretary of the board. His nomination for office has always been on the minority ticket, yet he has always been elected by a large majority. He contributed liberally of his time and money to the establishment of the cor- poration known as the Plymouth Valley Cream- ery Company, and for a number of years was a member of the Montgomery County Agricultural Society, a portion of which time he served as manager and vice-president. For a long period of time he was a reporter of statistics for the state board of agriculture of Pennsylvania, chief re- porter for Montgomery county, and at the same time filled a similar position for the United States board of agriculture. In matters of local interest and improvement Mr. Childs evinced a deep concern, and he materially aided every worthy en- terprise. He was a member of the board of man- agers of the Montgomery County Mutual Fire Insurance Company, and he aided largely in hav- ing the company extend the principles of insur- ance to damage done by storm as well as by fire. He was an advocate of good roads, and prior to his death enjoyed the privilege of seeing the principal roads of Plymouth township macadam- ized, and also the running of trolley cars on the principal roads of the township. In every posi- tion in which he was placed he was a progres- sive, liberal and public-spirited citizen, who could be depended upon to support every worthy ob- ject. He was active in the organization of Cold Point Grange, No. 606, Patrons of Husbandry, in October, 1875. and was elected its first master, to which position he was re-elected several times,.
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David Newport
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and during this time it became the banner Grange of the state. He was also treasurer of this Grange. For several terms he held the position of master of the Montgomery County Pomona Grange, being treasurer of the same, and he also held membership in the Pennsylvania Grange, serving as a member of the executive committee. His father and all his paternal ancestors, both male and female, for five generations, were mem- bers of the Society of Friends. His mother was not a Friend by birthright, but was reared in that faith. She resided with her son and his family until her death, February 20, 1888, at the advanced age of ninety-two years.
On February 9, 1854, Mr. Childs married Mary A. Schlater, a daughter of William and Sarah Schlater, of Plymouth township, who died January 21, 1855. On February 24, 1859, Mr. Childs married Malinda Freas, born September 17, 1837, a daughter of George and Margaret Freas, of Plymouth township, and a descendant of the Rev. Thomas Dungan or Dungannon, an Irish refugee, who fled from religious persecut- tion in his own country to America, settling in Providence, Rhode Island, where he became a dis- ciple of Roger Williams; in 1684 he came from Providence to the colony of Penn, locating in Bucks county, where he was the first Baptist minister, and his death occurred there in the year 1688. The children of S. Powell and Ma- linda (Freas) Childs are : 1. Horace G., born June 7, 1860, who was killed by lightning on June 6, 1883. 2. Mary B., born June 13, 1862. 3. Shier- man, born August 1, 1864, died August 7, 1866. 4. Sarah S., born September 20, 1868, a teacher in the public schools of Norristown. 5. George Freas, born August 6, 1870, mentioned herein- after. 6. Ella F., born June 17, 1872, died No- vember 19, 1880. 7. Elizabeth H., born January 27, 1875. S. Powell Childs, father of these chil- dren, died May 7, 1890, in the home where he was born, and where he resided during his entire life- time. His widow and children reside in Norris- town, Pennsylvania.
George Freas Childs, only surviving son of the late S. Powell Childs and his wife Malinda H. (Freas) Childs, was born on the homestead in
Plymouth township, Montgomery county, Penn- sylvania, August 6, 1870. He attended the public schools of the township, Treemount Seminary, Norristown, which was under the competent pre- ceptorship of Dr. John W. Loch, and the Nor- ristown high school. During his vacations he as- sisted with the manifold duties of the farm, and upon the completion of his studies he was engaged in farm duties for a year. He then pursued a course at the Pierce Business College, Philadel- phia, after which he secured a position with the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, at Philadelphia, and later was transferred to the auditing depart- ment of the same corporation, at Pittsburg. In 1898 he was transferred from Pittsburg to the Philadelphia office of the same company, where he has since been located. Since his return from Pittsburg, Mr. Childs has resided in Norristown. He is a Republican in his political views, but takes no active part in politics outside of casting his vote for the candidates of his party.
Mr. Childs married, August 11, 1897, Saralı Yeakle, daughter of Samuel Hudson and Re- becca Pollis (Burke) Yeakle, of Bucks county, Pennsylvania. They have one child, Charles Ray- mond, born May 19, 1900.
DAVID NEWPORT, for many years a min- iter in the Society of Friends, is the son of Jesse W. and Elizabeth ( Ellison) Newport. He was born December 18, 1822, in the city of Phila- delphia. He is a retired farmer, living at Willow Grove, in Abington township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania.
David Newport is a descendant of Thomas Newport, who settled in New Jersey about 1698, coming from London, England. The manner of his becoming a Friend is something remarkable. The people of his neighborhood were in the habit of meeting at his house for social worship, and as he had an excellent voice he occasionally sang to them. On one occasion, instead of singing, he felt it his duty to speak to them, and thus he be- came their minister. Becoming acquainted with Friends and their principles, and finding them similar to their own, he and his people connected themselves with the Society. Thomas Newport
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married Elizabeth Lockwood, and became the father of two children-Jesse and Mary. The family removed and lived near Duck Creek, Dela- ware, Mary going to Philadelphia, where she conducted a profitable business, and left to Phila- delphia Meeting the fund now in its possession. Jesse was the father of ten children-Thomas, Aaron, David, Jesse, Benjamin, Richard, Eliza- beth, Lydia, Mary and Sarah. In 1786 Jesse re- moved to Oxford township, and thus they became members of Abington Monthly Meeting. In 1794 Jesse, with seven of his children, removed to Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, where the seven children were said to have become the .parents of seventy children, an average of ten "each, all of whom lived to manhood and woman- hood. The Newports were noted for conscien- tiousness and fidelity to known duty. Jesse, son of Thomas, during the Revolutoinary War, pur- chased nothing but iron and salt aside from the productions of the farm, he being opposed to war, and unwilling to pay taxes for the support of the army, just as some of his descendants a century later were unwilling to buy any of the products of slave labor and thus lend support to an unjust system.
In reference to his ancestors David Newport says, in his "Eudemon," page 512: "It is said to be difficult to name the eight different great- grandparents of an individual. The following are mine: Jesse Newport and Mary Long ; Thomas Wood and Sarah Yerkes; John Barker and Elizabeth Rodman; John Ellison (3d) and Elizabeth Doughty. The great-grandparents of my wife, Susan S. Newport, were: William Sat- terthwaite and Pleasant Mead; William Clay- poole and Elizabeth Hall; Samuel Griscom and Rebecca James; Giles Knight and Elizabeth James.
"Jesse Newport was the son of Thomas New- port, of London, the immigrant. Thomas Wood, who was a soldier under Washington, was a grandson of Thomas Wood. He died in 1795. in his ninety-fourth year. He was a minister of Abington Meeting for forty-five years. He mar- ried Martha Lloyd, Ioth-mo. 24, 1713. Eliza- beth Rodman was the fifth in descent from John
Rodman, the immigrant. Her father, Thomas, married Elizabeth Pearson, who as is supposed was son of the Thomas Pearson who came over in the "Welcome," with William Penn. John Ellison married Hannah Boyd, a granddaughter of Griffith ap Griffith, who was the lineal descend- ant of Llewellyn ap Griffith, who was the last Prince of Wales, so the family record says. The Satterthwaites, my wife's family, have a record from Clement Satterthwaite, the father of Wil- liam, who married Agnes Brathwaite. They were the parents of William, who settled in Bucks county. He was born in 1709. His son William married May, the granddaughter of Giles Knight, who came over in the ship "Wel- come" with William Penn. William Claypoole was the grandson of the immigrant, James Clay- poole, the friend of William Penn, William Clay- poole's son John married Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel Griscom. She was the distinguished Betsy Ross, who died in 1836, in her eighty-fifth year. My wife remembers her well. James Claypoole's brother John married Elizabeth, daughter of Oliver Cromwell. Among my an- cestors who have been largely members of the Society of Friends since George Fox's time, several of them were called to the ministry of the word, among the most notable of whom was John Rodman (2d) of New York, of whom mention is made in the discipline of New York Yearly Meeting, on page 4. The records of the Society of Friends at Flushing, Long Island, contain the following note of his death :
" 'John Rodman, an eminent doctor, did abundance of good in that practice, and was also a worthy minister of the gospel in this town about forty years, a man beloved by all sorts of people, lived to a good old age, about seventy-eight years, died the 10th of 7th month, 1731. His wife Mary survived him and died in 1748, aged eighty-five years.' The account adds : 'They had twelve children.'"
David Newport's mother Elizabeth was a greatly favored minister in the Society of Friends for forty-three years, passing away from this state in her seventy-sixth year. His brother El- lison, and his sister, Martha Travilla, were
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both acknowledged ministers amongst Friends.
David Newport was not seventeen years old when he went to the country to learn the prac- tical duties of a farmer. He attended a Friends' school in Philadelphia, and later was sent to the Friends' school at Alexandria, Virginia. Early in life he became deeply interested in moral ques- tions and in politics, especially in the slavery question, then assuming great prominence ow- ing to the attitude of southern slaveholders in forcing it upon the country. Being born a Friend he inherited hatred of oppression in every form, and was an enthusiastic advocate of freedom. He was one of seven voters of Moreland town- ship who in 1848 cast their ballots for Martin VanBuren, the Free-Soil nominee for president. He acquired also a literary taste, and contributed articles to the Norristown papers, the "Herald," "Free Press" and "Republican." After the war began and the new system of internal revenue was framed by Congress, President Lincoln ap- pointed him collector for the congressional dis- trict composed of the counties of Montgomery and Lehigh, with his office in the court house at Norristown. He chose Samuel Homer and Howard M. Jenkins as his deputies, and during the four years he held the position, from 1862 to 1866, about two and a half millions of dollars passed through his hands in the shape of direct tax. He fulfilled all his duties with fidelity and strict integrity, attending carefully to business, and rendering a complete account of the trans- actions which was never questioned by the au- thorities at Washington.
David Newport has also achieved consider- able fame as an author. He published a volume of poems, and a volume entitled "Indices, Histor- ical and Rational." Within a few years he has published another volume, "Eudemon, Spiritual and Rational: the Apology of a Preacher for Preaching." His book of poems is called "The Pleasures of Home." The volume contains a poem which attracted wide attention at the time it was published, during the great national crisis of 1864, and which for this reason is here repro- cuced :
LINCOLN AND LIBERTY.
Lines on hearing that California had voted for Lincoln in 1864.
From where the placid Delaware winds onward in its course,
To where Niagara's waters flow with their re- sistless force ;
From where New England's stalwart sons amidst the woods of Maine,
The axe rings forth the anthem, rings forth the glad refrain !
The miner in the land of Penn, the boatman at the oar,
The farmer in the teeming West, among his garnered store,
The sailor on the ocean, amidst the surging sea, All, all have caught the glad acclaim,-LIN- COLN and Liberty !
And where Columbia's patriot sons encamp at Richmond's gate,
Their every shot and every shell proclaim the voice of fate !
The slave's dull ear has caught the note,-the anthem of the free,
As Dahlgren's voice pronounces clear,-LIN- COLN and Liberty !
'Twas thus along our country's shore, from heart to heart it flew ;
The lightning's wing conveyed the news that gladdened not a few-
All oe'r the land, from lake to gulf, responsive thrilled each breast,-
From North to South, from sea to sea, and in the fair young West-
And o'er Pacific's gentle wave, far toward the setting sun,-
From where the sands with gold are mixed, and silvery waters run;
From where Nevada rears his head, and Winter's chaplet crowns ;
Where Nature, both in mount and tree, in giant growth abounds,-
There, in that land where Broderick lived, there where he fought and fell,
In Freedom's ranks his friends have ranged, and Freedom's cohorts swell !
The tide from out the Golden Gate is ebbing to- ward the sea :
Amidst the shrouds the sailor sings,-LIN- COLN and Liberty.
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It is as a preacher, however, that David New- port is best known, the solemnity and impressive- ness of his communications causing them to at- tract attention from members of all denomina- tions. Although somewhat mystical at times, he clearly understands the fundamental principles of the Society for which he speaks, and his thoughts and impressions are uttered in no un- certain tone. He does not lack that most im- portant characteristic of a preacher, inspiration, and he has a wealth of illustration that makes his sermons interesting to his auditors. He has a valuable gift in the ministry, his general in- telligence aiding greatly in making his remarks acceptable to his hearers. In addition to this, his consistent life still further strengthens his public utterances. Few men have obtained more rational enjoyment from life than he, squaring his conduct as he does by the golden rule, and endeavoring to live in his daily life the truths taught by the principles of the Society of Friends. His earnestness in all that he does and says gives to his words and his actions an influence that is permanent in its character. He has been a preacher since 1871.
David Newport was for a number of years connected with the firm of William C. Newport & Co. as a manufacturer of phosphates for agri- cultural purposes at Willow Grove. The last few years he has, however, lived retired, the firm having been dissolved by the death of his son a number of years ago. The son left a widow and several children. David Newport married, April 8, 1847, Susan Satterthwaite. Their only living child is Emma N., wife of Canby Tyson. Mrs. Newport's grandmother, Betsy Ross, as already explained, had the honor of making the first American flag.
JOHN G. GILBERT, deceased, former hotel proprietor of Pottstown, was a native of that borough. He was born January 8, 1864, and is the son of Jesse B. and Levina (Guldin) Gilbert.
Jesse B. Gilbert (father) was engaged in the express business for many years. Mrs. Gilbert died in 1884, aged fifty-six years. He survived her several years, dying in 1896, aged sixty-six
years. Both were buried at the old Pottstown cemetery. In politics, Mr. Gilbert was a Demo- crat and served as a member of the town council. He was an influential man in Pottstown and was respected by the whole community. Mr. Gilbert was a candidate on one occasion for prothonotary. He was a member of the Emmanuel Lutheran church, as were his family. Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert had the following children : Andora, Ambrose and. Henrietta Esto are deceased; Jeremiah, married Ida Fillman and they reside at 120 North Wash- ington street, Pottstown, where he is engaged in the undertaking business; Jacob, unmarried, liv- ing at the American House, Pottstown, where he is engaged in business ; Clare married John Sassa- man, and is living in Reading, where he is en- gaged as a driver, and they have one child ; Harry, . residing in Pottstown, where he is engaged in business at the Montgomery House, married Rae Dignon and they have three children; Edward is married and lives on Walnut street, Pottstown, where he is engaged in business at the Montgom- ery House, having two children.
John Gilbert (grandfather), resided in or near Gilbertsville, where he was a blacksmith by occupation.
John G. Gilbert attended school until he was about fourteen years of age. He then worked for his father for some time, and later in the iron. industries of Pottstown, until he was about twen- ty-one years of age. He then followed profes- sional ball playing and roller skating for about twelve years. He next bought the Central House,. at Boyertown, Berks county, where he conducted the hotel business for one year and two months, and then purchased his last hotel, then known as Sellingers, but it became known as the Gilbert Hotel and Café, where he conducted business very prosperously for a dozen years. He recently renovated his place of business, and it is one of the finest hotels in Montgomery county.
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