USA > Pennsylvania > Bucks County > History of Bucks county, Pennsylvania, from the discovery of the Delaware to the present time, Vol. III > Part 139
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John, the eldest son of John and Rachel (Naylor) Carver, was born in the old homestead in Byberry 10 mo. 26, 1747, and
spent his whole life there. He married Mary, daughter of Joseph Buckman of. Wrightstown. Bucks county, who bore him eight children: Marthia; Mary, who mar- ried William Worthington, of Wrights- town; Asenath and Hannah, who married respectively John Townsend and Benjamin Kirkbride, and removed to Jefferson conn- ty, New York; Sarah, who married Dr. Josiah D. Banes, of Bucks county ; Joseph, who married Esther Wiggins, of Wrights- town; and Elizabeth, who married Evan Townsend, of Bensalem.
John, eldest son of John and Mary (Buckman) Carver, was born on the old homestead in Byberry, 2 mo. 28, 1776, and died there 10 mo. 10. 1849. He married Elizabeth Briggs, daughter of Jolin and Letitia (Buckman) Briggs, of Wrights- town, by whom he had four children : John, who married Phebe Tomlinson, and remained on the homestead; Mahlon, the subject of .this sketch; Esther; and Eliza, who married Richard Wilson; all except John became residents of Bucks county.
Mahlon, second son of John and Elizabethi ( Briggs) Carver, was born September 25, 1823, and was reared in Byberry, and con- tinued to reside there until 1867, when he removed to Bucks county. In 1869 he re- moved to his late residence near Carvers- ville where he devoted his attention to agri- cultural pursuits. He married Susanna G. Helwig, daughter of Daniel and Catharine (George) Helwig, of Solebury. Mr. Car- ver died February 25, 1905; his wife is still living in Carversville.
J. FENNELL BERGER, for many years engaged in merchandising in Bucks coun- ty, and now following farming in Sole- bury township, was born in this township on the first of November, 1851, his par- ents being Henry and Mary (Ackerman) Berger. The father was born near Kelly's church, in the northern part of Bucks coun- ty, and, losing his father when he was a child, he was reared in a neighboring fam- ily. On reaching early manhood he came to Solebury township, where he appren- ticed himself to the brick and stone mason's trades. After his marriage he lo- cated in Lumberville, where he worked at his trade for many years, being closely con- nected with building operations in that part of the county. He gave his political support to the Republican party, and was for a long period an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church, serving as one of its trustees for a number of years. He died in May, 1902, at the age of eighty- two years. To Henry and Mary Berger were born six children, of whom four are living : J. Fennell; Edward O., who is liv- ing in Solebury township; Elwood R., a resident of Lumberville; and Millard F., who resides at Raven Rock, New Jersey.
In his early youth J. Fennell Berger at- tended the public schools, but his educa-
Bergen
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HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY.
tional privileges were somewhat limited, as it was necessary that he earn his own live- lihood when but a young lad. At the age of twelve years he began working as a farm hand in the summer months, while in the winter season he continued his studies. When sixteen years of age he apprenticed himself to the harness maker's trade in Lumberville, working for his first employer for four years, after which he purchased the business, conducting it until 1880. He then turned his attention to merchandising in Lahaska, carrying a general line of goods, and in 1884 removed to North Wales, where he continued in the same business for fifteen years, enjoying a lu- crative trade and contributing to the com- mercial prosperity of the place. Owing to the close confinement of the store, how- ever, his health became impaired, and in 1899 he removed to his farm in Solebury township, which he had purchased several years prior to that time. His attention has since been given to its further devel- opment and improvement, and the outdoor life has proved very beneficial to him, while the farm, under his careful super- vision, has become a desirable property, equipped with modern accessories.
Mr. Berger was married in 1875 to Miss Amanda C. Fretz, a daughter of Jonas and Mary Ann ( Stover) Fretz, of Bedminster township. They have two children: Mary A., at home; and Henry J., living in Sole- bury township. The parents are members of the Lutheran church, and Mr. Berger belongs to North Wales Camp, No. 547, Patriotic Order of Sons of America. In politics he was a Republican, and he served as a school director in North Wales for thirteen years, resigning the position on his removal to the farm. Interested in matters of local advancement, he has championed many measures for the general good.
BENJAMIN W. BOUTCHER, of Ben- salem township, was born in that town- ship December 17, 1848. He traces his an- cestry back to Benjamin Boutcher, who emigrated to this country in 1678, and set- tled on a large tract of land in Abington township, Philadelphia (now Montgomery) county, Pennsylvania.
Benjamin Boutcher, son of Joseph Boutcher, and grandson of Benjamin W. Boutcher above mentioned, was born in Abington township, February II, 1786. He was a wheelwright by trade, but engaged extensively in agricultural pursuits. He married in 1810 Elinor Vandergrift, daugh- ter of Jacob and Ann (Walton) Vander- grift, who was born in 1771 and died Octo- ber 25, 1850, at the age of eighty years. Nine children were the issue of this mar- riage, namely: Joseph, born September 15, 18II, mentioned hereinafter. Ann, born 1813, died in early life. Jacob, born 1815. Enos, born May 30, 1817, died December 15, 1888; he married Elinor Vandegrift. Ann Eliza, born September 13, 1819, died
July 1, 1902; she was the wife of William M. Vandegrift. Monroe, born 1822. Wash- ington, born 1824. Robert Bickley Boutcher, born 1828. Elinor, born 1830. Benjamin Boutcher, father of these children,
was all active and 'influential man
in the community. He was one of the prin- cipal factors in the establishment of the public school at Andalusia, and the petition circulated by him for that purpose bearing date November, 1822, is still in the pos- session of his grandson, Benjamin W. Boutcher, whose name heads this sketch. On January 18, 1813, Mr. Boutcher pur- chased of his father-in-law, Mr. Vande- grift, a tract of land in Bensalem and set- tled thereon.
Nicholas Vendegrift, the ancestor of the family of which Mrs. Benjamin Boutcher was a member, was the father of a son, Foulkard Vandegrift, who married Eliza- beth Vansant, and they were the parents of a son, Foulkard Vandegrift, who died Oc- tober 24, 1775, aged eighty years. He mar- ried Ehzabeth Watson, and their children were: I. Jacob, who married Ann Wal- ton, and their children were: Levi; Jacob; Eliza, never married; Elinor Vandegrift, wife of Benjamin Boutcher; Jane, who married William Atkinson, died 1887, aged eighty-seven years; and Anna, who mar- ried Adam Vandegrift. 2. John, who died March 25, 1805, aged eighty-two years. 3. Foulkard, Jr., who died October 10, 1795, aged sixty-one years. 4. - who be- came the wife of Barnet Van Kirk, who died. September 12, 1817, aged seventy years. The old graveyard in Maud owned by Foulkard Vandegrift was deeded by him to his four children aforementioned.
Joseph Boutcher, eldest son of Benjamin and Elinor ( Vandegrift) Boutcher, was born September 15, 1811. At the age of fourteen years he took up the trade of a wheelwright with his father, and followed it during the active years of his life. He married Elizabeth Killey, daughter of Cap- tain Edward and Elizabeth (Kennard) Kil- ley, who was born in Douglass, Isle of Man. Captain Killey was a native of the Isle of Man, and came to this country when a young man and learned the trade of a sail-maker. During the war of 1812 he was captain of the ship "Roebuck," and was cap- tured by the Britishi, who claimed him as a British subject, but after the close of the war he returned to Philadelphia and fol- lowed his trade. Joseph and Elizabeth (Killey) Boutcher were the parents of six children : Adelaide S., Cordelia, Edward, William, Guilelma Natalie, and Benja- min W.
Benjamin W. Boutcher, son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Killey) Boutcher, was born in Bensalem township, December 17, 1848. He was educated at the local schools, and on arriving at manhood took up the voca- tion of farming and teaming. In 1877 he was married to Catharine Cryer, daughter of William Cryer, who came from England and settled in Bensalem township.
41-3
HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN KER- BAUGII, of Southampton, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, is a native of the county, born near Riegelsville, in 1855. He is a son of Josiah and Maria (Bougher) Ker- baugh, the former born in 1803, and his wife in 1816, a daughter of William Bougher. He was reared in his native coun- ty and educated in the common schools. He became an engineer, and is now chief en- gineer and inspector of city boats at South- ampton. In politics he is a Republican. He married Rebecca Schofield, widow of Pe- ter Marseilles, Jr., by whom she had two children: I. Lily, who married E. F. Sax- man, a coal operator of Latrobe, Pennsyl- vania, and has two children-Peter M. and Edwin F., Jr. 2. William Peter, who mar- ried Marie Richards, of Chicago, and has had one child. William, Jr. 3. Evelyn Re- becca, married to Orville C. Cooper, and has had two children: Rebecca Marseilles and Evelyn Marseilles.
Rebecca Schofield (Mrs. Kerbaugh) was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, daughter of Samuel and Jane ( Richison) Schofield. Her father was born in Novem- ber, 1800. in Chester county, Pennsylvania, a son of William and Elizabeth (Lane) Schofield. William was also a native of Chester county, and died in 1818. He served as a lieutenant under Patrick An- derson in the war of the Revolution, and was at the massacre of Paoli. He was prob- bly a son of George and Elizabeth (Rich- ardson) Schofield, and came to Chester county from Solebury about the middle of the eighteenth century. Mrs. Kerbaugh traces her descent back through the Scho- fields, Lanes, Bevans and others, to one Dierck, a descendant of the Dukes of Aquitaine, in France, and first county of Holland, Zealand and Friesland, the line- age being as follows :
I. Dierck, son of Hertog Segesbert, married Gena Puppins, daughter of the King of Italy. He died in 903. (Davis's "History of Holland," vol. I, p. 22.)
2. His son Dierck (2) married Hilde- garde, daughter of King Louis of France. He died May 6, 988, and was buried at Egmond. (Davis's "History of Holland," vol. I, p. 26.)
3. Arnalph, son of Dierck (2), married Lutgard, daughter of the King of Greece, and sister of Theofana, wife of Otha II, Emperor of Germany. He was killed in the battle at Winkle in 993. (Davis, vol. I, p. 25.)
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4. Dierck (3), son of Arnalph, married Othe, daughter of the Duke of Saxony. He fought the Normans, and made a pil- grimage to the Holy Land, dying in 1039. (Davis, vol. I, p. 25.)
5. Floris (I) son of Dierck (3). became count in 1048: married Gertrude, daughter of Herman, Duke of Saxony, killed in 1061. Davis, vol. I, p. 32.)
6. Dierck (5), son of Floris, became count in 1075; married Othilda, of Saxony; died September 9, 1092. (Davis, vol, I, p. 34).
7. Floris (2), son of Dierck (5), mar- ried Petronella, daughter of the Duke of Saxony; died March 6, 1138. (Davis, vol. I, p. 39.)
8. Dierck (6), son of Floris (2), mar- ried Sophia, daughter of the Count Palatine of the Rhine. He made a voyage to the Holy Land in 1139 and died in 1163. (Da- vis, vol. I, p. 42.)
9. Floris (3), son of Dierck (6), mar- ried Ada, daughter of King Henry, and granddaughter of David I., King of Scot- land. He participated in the crusade of 1187, and died of fever at Antioch in 119I. (Davis, vol. I, p. 47.)
IO. William (I), son of Floris (3), was knighted by the Emperor Frederick Bar- barossa. He took part in the crusade of 1247. He married Adelphia, daughter of Count Otto of Guelderland, and died Feb- ruary 4, 1224.
II. Floris (4), son of William (1), mar- ried Matilda, daughter of Henry, Duke of Brabant; he was killed in 1235.
12. Alice, daughter of Floris (4), mar- ried, 1241, at Dordrecht, John of Avennes, the Earl of Hainhault. She died in 1283.
13. John (2) of Avennes, son of Alice, Countess of Hainhault, in 1279, married Philippa of Luxemburg; he died August 22, 1304.
14. William (3), son of John of Aven- nes, married Joanna, daughter of Charles of Valois, son of Philip of France; he died June 7, 1337.
15. Philippa, second daughter of Will- iam (3), married January 24, 1328, Edward III, King of England. She died August 15, 1369, and is buried at Westminster. She founded Queens College at Oxford.
16. John of Gaunt, son of Philippa, born February, 1340, Earl of Richmond, married Catherine Swynford, daughter of Sir Payn Root. He died February 3, 1398.
17. Henry Beaufort, son of John of Gaunt, was the celebrated Cardinal Beau- fort of Shakespeare. He was also Chan- cellor of England. He had a daughter Joan, by Alice, daughter of the Earl of Arundel, whom he married to Sir Edward Stadling. He died April 11, 1447.
18. Jane (or Joan) Beaufort, daughter of Henry of Beaufort, married Sir Richard Stadling.
19. Sir Henry Stadling, son of Jane of Beaufort, married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir William Herbert.
20. Thomas Stadling, son of Sir Henry Stadling, married Jenet. daughter of Thomas Matthew. He died September 8, 1480.
21. Sir Edmund Stadling, son of Thomas Stadling, married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Thomas Arundel, of Landthorne, in Cornwall. He died May 5, 1535.
22. Elizabeth Stadling, daughter of Sir Edward Stadling, married Edward Morgan, of Bedwelty and Penellwyn.
23. Mary Margan, daughter of Elizabeth Stadling. married John Thomas, of Land- hadack, in Glamorgan.
643
HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY.
24. William Thomas, son of Mary Thomas, of Landahack, as shown by least ( December 20, 1606-7) of Cardiff. He died in 1655; he married Joan, daughter of Howell Mathew of Lwelden, and she was living in 1669.
25. Thomas Thomas, son of William Thomas, was of Landhadack and Rhyd- lavar. He married Dorothy, daughter of Sir John Carew, of Somerset.
26. Elizabeth Thomas, daughter of Thomas Thomas, married William Aubrey of Pencoed, near Llauiltern, Glamorgan- shire, son of Rev. William Aubrey, M. A., and descendant of Sir Reginald Aubrey, one of the Norman conquerors of Wales. She was living in 1678. Her brother, William Thomas, in his will dated June 7, 1636, mentions his brother-in-law William Au- brey, of Pencoed.
27. Barbara Aubrey, daughter of Eliza- beth Thomas and William Aubrey, was born in 1637, and died November 16, 1710. She was a member of the Church of Eng- land but subsequently followed her hus- band into the Society of Friends. She married John Bevan, who lived upon his estate in Glamorganshire. He was a man of considerable wealth, a friend of Will- iam Penn, and a preacher of influence among the Quakers. He came to Pennsyl- vania in 183, and was a judge of the coun- ty court of Philadelphia, a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly, and a man of af- fairs. He returned to Wales in 1774, and died at Treverlig.
28. Elizabeth Bevan, a daughter of Bar- bara Aubrey, was born at Treverlig in 1696; married Joseph Richardson of Cle- thyr, at the mouth of Perkiomen creek in Pennsylvania, son of Samuel Richardson, provincial councilor and judge in Phila- delphia. She died before February 27, 1760.
29. Edward Richardson, son of Eliza- beth Bevan, in 1712, went to school to Francis Daniel Pastorius, in Germantown. He married Ann Jones, December 15, 1730. His father sold to him for fifty dollars a tract of two hundred and forty-eight acres in Clethyr. He died in November, 1751.
30. Sarah Richardson, daughter of Ed- ward, was born January 14, 1732. She married, October 14, 1754, at Christ church, in Philadelphia, Edward Lane, of Provi- dence, Philadelphia county, Pennsylvania, a distant relative, also a descendant of Sam- 11el Richardson. She moved with her hus- band to Charleston township, Chester county, before the Revolution. During the war she fed the soldiers. She died July 8, 1818, and is buried in the Anderson family burying ground in Schuylkill township, Chester county.
3I. Elizabeth Lane, daughter of Sarah Richardson and Edward Lane, married William Schofield, first lieutenant in the American army during the war of the Revolution. This William Schofield was the grandfather of Rebecca Schofield, wife of Benjamin Franklin Kerbaugh. Her
grandmother and Governor Pennypacker's grandmother were sisters, both being the children of Edward Lane.
DR. JOHN HAGGERTY BISHOP, whose skill as a dentist and medical prac- titioner has gained him rank with the lead- ing professional men of Bucks county, is descended from one of two brothers of German birth, who in colonial days came to America and settled at Allentown, Pennsylvania. Both were weavers, and as George Bishop, son of one of these broth- ers, and the grandfather of Dr. Bishop, reached a suitable age, he adopted his father's calling, which he followed for many years. He was probably born in Al- lentown, and it is definitely known was reared there. He married Rachel Mc- Cool, and in order to provide for his fam- ily he engaged in weaving until the trou- ble with England brought on the war of 1812, when he enlisted in defense of Amer- ican interests. After the cessation of hos- tilities he returned home, and, being given some land by the government, he started with a small party for the western section of the state to locate his claim, but none of the party were ever heard from after- ward and it is supposed that all were killed by the Indians. In proof of this theory, a number of years afterward human bones were found in the district to which they were supposed to have gone. He left a widow and children. His wife, who was a graduate of Muhlenberg College and a lady of superior culture, afterward married a Mr. Jordan, and by that union had one child, Griffith, who was for three years in the cavalry service in the civil war, and now resides in Flourtown, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania.
Samuel Bishop, son of George and Ra- chel (McCool) Bishop, was born in Bucks county, near Springtown, in 1814, and af- ter his father's death was reared by a fam- ily of the name of Bryant, living near Springtown. He learned the shoemaker's trade, which he followed in early life, but later he adopted farming as a source of livelihood, and also conducted a hotel in New Jersey for one year and for one year in Danboro, Pennsylvania. As it was cus- tomary for all hotels to serve liquors, and as he was opposed to drinking, he gave up the hotel business and directed his en- ergies exclusively to farming in Solebury township. He died in Lumberville, June 9, 1886, at about seventy-two years of age. In early life he had been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and in his political views he was a Demo- crat, and a strong Union man at the time of the civil war. Samuel Bishop married Miss Mary Walter, a daughter of William and Elizabeth (Huff) Walter. She was born in New Jersey in 1818, and in the maternal line was descended from Revo- lutionary stock. Her, paternal grandfather
644
HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY.
was a wealthy slaveholder, and was also the owner of the iron forges at the place in New Jersey now called The Forge. By her marriage Mrs. Bishop had five chil- dren, of whom three are living: Jacob, of Philadelphia; Rachel J., the wife of Thomas Me.Alvan, of Hunterdon county, New Jersey; and John II.
The military record of Dr. Bishop's an- cestors is one of which the family have every reason to be proud. His great-grand- father Iluff was a soldier of the revolu- tion, his grandfather Bishop of the war of 1812, while Dr. Bishop, his brother Jacob, his uncle Griffith Jordan, his cousin Lewis Moore and other members of the family were in the civil war. Lewis Moore was wounded in the famous cavalry charge at Gettysburg, and diel soon after being sent home. Two other members of the family who went to the front and were never heard from after the war, undoubtedly gave their lives in defense of the Union.
Dr. Bishop, son of Samuel H. and Mary ( Walter) . Bishop, was born in Warren county, New Jersey, on the Ioth of February, 1847. He was reared under the parental roof and acquired his education in the common schools and under private tutors. In 1863, when sixteen years of age, he enlisted under Captain George Hart as a member of Company F, Thirty-first Pennsylvania Volunteers, and served in that command during the emergency call. In 1864 he enlisted again under the call for men for one hundred days, becoming a member of Company .E, One Hundred and Ninety-sixth (Fifth Union League) Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteer>, which command was detailed for guard duty. Following his discharge from the army, Dr. Bishop took up the trade of harness-making, with which he was con- nected two years, and then, desiring to en- ter professional life, he began the study of dentistry under Dr. A. M. Fell, of Doyles- town, and, having mastered the principles of the science as well as its practical .work- ing, he entered upon, active practice in Upper Dublin, where he remained for two years. He also spent two years as a den- tal practitioner in Quakertown, and dur- ing this period he also took up the study of medicine. In 1874 he removed to Car- versville, where he continued the practice of dentistry and his medical studies. In 1877 he was graduated from the Philadel- phia Eclectic College of Medicine, and en- tered upon the practice of medicine and surgery in connection with dentistry. Later he took a course in the Georgia Eclectic College of Medicine, from which he was graduated in 1881. He yet continues an active practitioner along both professional lines for which he has prepared by thor- ough training and in which he has pro- moted his efficiency by practical effort, and he is today one of the able representatives of both the medical and dental fraternities and has gained a large and remunerative practice in Solebury.
Dr. Bishop was married on the first of June, 1870, to Miss Mary E. Smith, a daughter of Thomas and Mary Ann (Jam- ison) Smith, of Carversville, Pennsylvania, the former now deceased. Dr. and Mrs. Bishop have five children: Annie S., the wife of William S. Bartelman, of Philadel- phia; Dora May, at home; Walter S., of Plumstead township; W. H. Pancoast, a druggist, of Philadelphia; and Katie J., wife of Horace Helyer, of Mechanicsville, Bucks county. Dr. Bishop votes with the Democracy. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias fraternity, and of Bodine Post, No. 306, G. A. R., of Doylestown. He has never sought or desired public office for, though never remiss in citizenship, he pre- fers to give undivided attention to his pro- fessional duties, and the demands made for his services leave him little leisure time.
WILLIAM C. MERSHON. The Mer- shon family is of French descent, and was established in America in colonial days. Daniel S. Mershon, the grandfather of William C. Mershon, was born in Trenton, New Jersey, and in early life removed to Bucks county, Pennsylvania, where he se- cured a tract of land and began farming, thus providing for his family throughout his entire business career. In early life he had followed the river to some extent, but dur- ing many years gave his attention exclus- ively to agricultural pursuits. He wedded Mary Smith, a native of this county, and of Dutch descent. They became the parents of six children.
Joab C. Mershon, the fourth member of this family, was born in Trenton, New Jer- sey, and was very young when brought by his parents to Bucks county. Here he was reared to farm life, acquiring a common- school education, and, when not occupied with the duties of the school room, giving his attention to the work of the fields. That occupation he made his life work, becoming the owner of one hundred and ninety-six acres of land in one farm, and fifty acres in a second farm. He thus prospered, as the years passed by, and gained a valuable prop- erty which returned to him a good annual income in rich harvests. His political al- legiance was given to the Republican party, and he served as supervisor of Falls town- ship. Fraternally he was connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In 1850 he married Miss Rosanna Richardson, a daughter of Jeremiah Richardson, and to them were born four children: Sarah C., the wife of John W. Brooks; Mary S .. the wife of George E. Brooks; William C., of this review ; and D. Smith, who married Anna Crozer, and is living in Morrisville. Pennsylvania. Joab C. Mershon died May 7, 1902, at the age of seventy-six years, sur- viving his wife, who died May 11, 1897, aged sixty-nine years.
William C. Mershon was born on Biles Island. October 19. 1856. and the common
Crab Masshon
THE NEW YORK FURMIYUDRARY
AUTOR, TEN X AN
645
HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY.
schools afforded him his early education, which was supplemented in the Hightown Petty Institute, and by a course in Bryant & Stratton's Business College at Trenton, New Jersey. When he had completed his education he began farming, and his atten- tion has been principally given to the tilling of the soil and the raising of stock. He has a well improved farm property situated in Falls township, and supplied with many modern equipments and accessories, indi- cating that he is in touch with the progress- ive spirit of the twentieth century. His study of the political issues and questions of the day has led him to endorse Republican principles, and he is a recognized leader in the local ranks of his party. He has held the office of supervisor for two years, and is a member of the central committee for Falls township at the present time. Mr. Mershon wedded, February 24, 1881, Miss Jennie P. Blake, a daughter of Joseph and Jennie Blake, of Trenton, New Jersey. They had four children, but lost one son, Harry, in infancy. The others are: Frank E., born April 23, 1883; George B., May 12, 1886; and Harrison M., September 6, 1888.
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