USA > Pennsylvania > Bucks County > History of Bucks county, Pennsylvania, from the discovery of the Delaware to the present time, Vol. III > Part 29
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3. Rebecca, born 7 mo. 27, 1710, never married.
4. Sarah, born 7 mo. 30, 1712, married (first) Benjamin Canby, (second) David Kinsey.
5. Joyce, born 10 mo. 3, 1714, never married.
6. William, born 3 mo. 25, 1716, died 8 1110. 3. 1774.
7. Hannah, born II mo. 13, 1718-19, never married.
8. Thomas, born II mo. I, 1720-I, died 3 mo. 12, 1803, married Mary Field. Entered military service of the Province and was disowned by Friends therefore in 1756.
9. Samuel, born 4 mo. 16, 1723, died 8 mo. 12, 1726.
10. Samuel, born 7 mo. 13, 1729, died 1759, married Janc.
Thomas Yeardley was returned as a member of the Provincial Assembly in 1715 and again in 1722. He was commis- sioned a justice of the several courts of Bucks county, May 12, 1725, and contin- ued to serve as such until 1741. He was one of the most prominent and active of the judges, being present at nearly every sitting of the court. He became a very large land holder, acquiring in 1726 five hundred acres adjoining Pros- pect Farm, and in 1733 a tract of six- hundred acres in Newtown township. He also acquired title to the Solebury Mills, erected by Robert Heath in 1707. He died in 1756. He devised his Make- field lands to his sons William and Thomas, and his Solebury property to his son Samuel.
William Yardley, born 3 mo. 25, 1716, married 4 mo. 20, 1748, Ann Budd, of New Jersey. and had: Ann, born 4 mo. 10. 1749, married Abraham Warner. Saralı, born 2 mo. 17, 1751, married Timothy Taylor. Margaretta, born 12 mo. 6, 1752, married Stacy Potts, of Trenton, New Jersey. Anna (Budd) Yardley died 1753, and William married, 3 mo. 31. 1756, Sarah, daughter of Mah- lon and Mary (Sotcher) Kirkbride. Mah- lon Kirkbride was the son of Joseph, before mentioned, by his second wife, Sarah, daughter of Mahlon and Rebecca (Ely) Stacy, who were married at Cinder Hill, near Mansfield, Yorkshire, Eng- land, in 1668, and emigrated to New Jersey in 1676. Mahlon Stacy was the first settler at the present site of Tren- ton, New Jersey, where he built a mill which was the sole resources for the farmers on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware for many years. Mahlon Stacy was a prominent official of the Prov- ince of West Jersey, while Joseph Kirk- bride, his son Mahlon, John Sotcher,
father of Mary Kirkbride, and Penn's steward at Pennsbury, and William Biles, all ancestors of the subject of this sketch, were all members of Colonial Assembly and justices of the court at different times. The children of Will-
iam Yardley and his second wife Sarah Kirkbride were:
Mary, born I mo. 27, 1757, married Jonathan Woolston.
Hannham, born 3 mo. 19, 1758, mar -. ried 1779. John Stapler.
Achsah, born 2 mo. 17, 1760, married 1794, Thomas Stapler.
Letitia, born 7 mo. 12, 1762, married 1782, Jonathan Willis, of Philadelphia.
Thomas, born Io mo. 2, 1763, married 1785, Susanna Brown.
Mablon, born 7 mo. 17, 1765, married 1787, Elizabeth Brown.
Samuel, born 2 mo. 28, 1767, died in infancy.
William, born 6 mo. 8, 1769, married 1793. Elizabeth Field.
Joseph, born 3 mo. 19, 1771, married 1798, Saralı Field.
Sarah ( Kirkbride) Yardley, died I mo. 21, 1783.
William Yardley, served as sheriff of Bucks county from October 4, 1752, to October 4. 1755; and as justice of the courts of Bucks county December 7, 1764. to 1770. He died 8 mo. 3, 1774.
Mahlon, son of William and Sarah (Kirkbride) Yardley, born 7 mo. 17, 1765, married 4 mo. 26, 1787, Elizabeth, daughter of John and Ann (Field) Brown, of Falls township. (Benjamin Field, father of Ann Brown, was a mem- ber of Provincial Assembly 1738-45.) The children of Mahlon and Elizabetlı (Brown) Yardley, were:
Sarah, born 4 mo. 16, 1788, married 1813, Joseph Paul.
Ann, born 2 mo. 6, 1790, married 1812, Jesse Lloyd.
Achsah, born 9 mo. I, 1792, married 1834. Richard Janney.
John, born 12 mo. 1, 1794, married 1823, Frances Hapenny, 1841, Anna Van Horn.
Hannah, born 4 mo. 25, 1797, married 1819, Samuel Buckman.
Robert, born I mo. 18, 1799, married 1829, Ellen Field.
Charles, born 8 mno. 4, 1802, married Anna Warner.
Elizabeth, born 7 mo. 21, 1807, married 1831, Mahlon B. Linton.
Elizabeth (Brown) Yardley, died I 1110. 22, 1824.
Mahlon Yardley died in Makefield, II 110. 17, 1829.
John, son of Mahlon and Sarah (Kirk- bride) Yardley, born 12 mo. I, 1794, married, I mo. 23, 1823, Frances Hap- penny. Their children were: Mahlon, born 2 mo. 4. 1824, married 12 mo. II, 1850, Elizabeth, daughter of Stephen Brock. Strickland, born 10 mo. 18, 1826. married Martha Johnson. Franklin, born 6 mo. 26, 1830, died in infancy. John Yardley. married (second) Anna. Van Horn, 6 mo. 16, 1841; their children were: Fannie, born 12 mo. 10. 1844. Hon. Robert M., born 10 mo. 9. 1850, member of congress, Seventh District. Mary
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HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY.
Eliza, born I mo. 14, 1854. John Yardley during the later years of life was a mem- ber of the firm of Yardley & Justice, coal and lumber merchants, at Yardley, Pennsylvania. He died at Yardley, 5 mo. 24, 1874.
Mahlon Yardley was born in Make- field township, 2 mo. 24, 1824, where his early boyhood was spent. He graduated at Lafayette College, Easton, Pennsyl- vania, in the class of 1843, and at once began the study of law at Easton. He was admitted to the Bucks County bar February 2, 1846, and began the practice of law at Doylestown. At the organiza- tion of the Republican party he became an ardent advocate of its principles. In the fall of 1851 he was its nominee for state senator from the Sixth district, and, although the district was then over- whelmingly Democratic, was elected, de- feating the late General Paul Applebaclí, of Haycock. The term at that period was three years, and he was therefore in the state senate at the breaking out of the war.
When in April, 1861, the Doylestown Guards were on their way to the front, they were met at the station at Harris- burg by Senator Yardley and two col- leagues and a bountiful supper served to them. When General W. H. H. Da- vis recruited and organized the 104th Pennsylvania Regiment at Doylestown, September, 1861. Mr. Yardley enlisted and was commissioned first lieutenant of Company K. He was with the regiment at the siege of Yorktown, and in the be- ginning of the hostilities along the Chickahominy. In the skirmishes at Sav- age's Station and Seven Pines, prelimin- ary to the battle of Fair Oaks on May 24, 1862, he narrowly escaped being killed. General Davis, in his "History of the 104th Regiment," says, in speaking of this engagement: "There were many narrow escapes. Lieutenant Yardley moved his head to one side just in time to prevent a shell that passed along, from taking it off. A soldier named Brown, immediately back of him, was struck in the head and instantly killed. After the battle the regiment was encamped on the edge of a dense swamp, and many of the men were taken sick with fevers. Among these was Lieutenant Yardley. In the latter part of the month he was carried home by some friends who were on a visit to the regiment, and never rejoined the command. When sufficient- ly recovered he was placed in the re- cruiting service and was subsequently appointed provost marshal for the Fifth District, with headquarters at Frank- ford."
Mr. Yardley never fully recovered from the severe attack of typhoid con- tracted in the Chickahominy swamps, and was ever thereafter afflicted with a severe cough, which no doubt hastened his death. After being in bed for about
four months, he opened a recruiting of- fice at Doylestown. On April 10, 1863, he was appointed provost marshal for this district, then comprising three wards of the city of Philadelphia, and promoted to the rank of captain. At the close of the war he was appointed in- ternal revenue collector for the same dis- trict, a position he filled until his death. He died June 23, 1873. His wife, whom he married 12 mo. II, 1850, was Eliza- beth, daughter of Stephen and Mary (Jones) Brock. The Brocks are one of the oldest families in Bucks county. The emigrant ancestor of the family was sheriff of the county in 1685, and his son, Thomas Brock, held the same office for the term 1693-5. Stephen Brock, father of Mrs. Yardley, was twice elected sheriff of Bucks county, in 1821 and again in 1827.
John Yardley, the only child of Mah- lon and Elizabeth, was born in Doyles- town, June 15, 1852. He was educated at private schools in Doylestown, and en- tered Lehigh University in 1868, remain- ing two years, after which he entered the silk house of Watson & Jan- ney, of Philadelphia, as clerk. He re- turned to Doylestown in the autumn of 1872 to assist his father in the revenue office. On February I, 1873, he was appointed a clerk in the Doylestown Na- tional Bank, and remained in the em- ploy of the bank until 1896, when he resigned to accept the position of treas- urer of the Doylestown Trust Company, which position he still fills. Mr. Yard- ley has always been active in everything that pertains to the best interests of the town he lives in. He was for many years a member of the school board and has held other borough offices. He was one of the organizers of the Doyles- town Electric Company and of the Doylestown Gas Company, and has been a director of both companies from their organization. He has also been inter- ested in several other local enterprises. He is a member of Doylestown Lodge, F. and A. M., No. 245; Aquetong Lodge, No. 193, I. O. O. F .; Doylestown En- campment, No. 25, I. O. O. F .; and Len- ape Council, No. 1117, Royal Arcanum. He married, October 19, 1876, Emma, daughter of David and Lucy (Lear) Krewson. Their only child is Mahlon, born May 19, 1878, who resides with his parents.
SAMUEL YARDLEY, of Edgewood, Lower Makefield township, was born in Upper Makefield township, Bucks coun- ty, October 19, 1834, and is a son of Joseph H. and Esther B. (Knowles) Yardley, and is without doubt of the same lineage as Thomas Yardley, son of Thomas Yardley, of Rushton Spencer, Staffordshire, England, the former of whom came to Bucks county in 1704, as
1
Roberta En Handler
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HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY.
the heir of his uncle, William Yardley, , with the conduct of a farm near Taylors- of Ransclough, near Leake, county Staf- ford, who had come to Bucks county in 1682, an account of whom is given in this work.
Richard Yardley appears in Bucks county soon after the arrival of Thomas, with whom he was closely associated. He was probably a grandson of John Yardley, of Rushton Spencer, uncle of William and Thomas, above mentioned, who married Alice, daughter of Richard Sutton, of Rushton Spencer, and had sons, Edward, William, Ralph, John, Richard, and Thomas. As before stated Richard Yardley appears in Bucks coun- ty soon after the emigration of Thomas Yardley to this county, and the latter sold lrim in 1753 six hundred acres of land near Newtown, purchased in 1742. Richard never lived on this land, and at his death in 1761 was operating the mill belonging to Thomas Yardley, in Solebury township. His will, dated Jan- uary 5, 1761, and proved March 4, 1761, mentions wife Mary, daughter Mary, wife of Joseph Harvey; and sons, Thom- as, Samuel, Richard, Enoch, William, and Benjamin.
Richard Yardley, son of the above Richard, married November 1, 1759, Lu- cilla Stackhouse. He purchased in 1773 of Thomas and Mary (Field) Yardley 107 acres of land in Lower Makefield, on which he lived and died. He was a wheelwright by trade and followed that vocation in connection with farming. He died in 1786 leaving two sons, Sam- 11el and William; and three daughters: Anna, wife of John Leedom; Hannah, wife of James White; and Mary, wife of John Hough. William, the youngest of the children, was born in 1777. Lu- cilla Stackhouse, wife of Richard Yard- ley, was born 4 mo. 9, 1738, and was a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Jan- ney) Stackhouse, her maternal grand- father being Abel Janney, whose daugh- ter Elizabeth, John Stackhouse married at Middletown Io mo. 22, 1737, their only other child being Abel Stackhouse, born 4 mo. 4, 1740. John Stackhouse was born 3 mo. II, 1708, and died 7 mo. 23, 1743, and was a son of John and Elizabeth Stackhouse, of Middletown, the former of whom came to Middletown from England with his uncle, Thomas Stack- house. in 1682.
Samuel Yardley, eldest son of Richard and Lucilla (Stackhouse) Yardley, was a man of considerable prominence in the community, and at one time a consider- able landholder in the Makefields. He married Ann Vansant, daughter of Cor- nelius and Ann (Larzelere) Vansant, and had two sons, Richard and Joseph Har- vey Yardley.
Joseph H. Yardley was born near Yardley in the year 1797. He was a nat- ural mechanic, and in early life followed the trade of a carpenter, in connection
ville. In April, 1841, he purchased at sheriff's sale the Jacob Janney farm of 115 acres, which included the farm now owned and occupied by his son, the sub- ject of this sketch, and spent the remain- der of his life thereon, dying in 1880 at the age of eighty-three years. In politics he was a staunch Republican, and was an active and prominent man in the com- munity, holding the office of justice of the peace for many years. He was also one of the directors of the Yardley Del- aware Bridge Company, and held several other positions of trust. His wife was Esther B. Knowles, of an old and promi- nent family in Upper Makefield, and they were the parents of six children: Elizabeth: Julia, widow of Charles Jan- ney, of Solebury; Anna, first wife of the above named Charles Janney; Rebecca, who died young; Samuel, the subject of, this sketch; and Gulielma, wife of Rob- ert Yardley Linton, of Makefield.
Samuel Yardley was born near Tay- lorsville, Upper Makefield township, Oc- tober 19, 1834, but from the age of seven years was reared on the farm upon which he still resides. He was educated at the local schools and at the Norris- town Academy. He was reared to the life of a farmer, and has always given his attention to the tilling of the soil. In politics he is a Republican, but has never sought or held other than local office. He is one of the highly respected citizens of Lower Makefield, where he has always resided. Mr. Yardley has been twice married, his first wife being Sa- rah Swartzlander, who died December 21, 1865; and his second wife was Jane P. Swartzlander, who died November 28, 1902, both being daughters of Abraham and Rebecca Swartzlander.
William R., only son of Samuel and Sarah (Swartzlander) Yardley, married Mary Vanhorn, and they are the parents of eleven children, as follows: Florence K., born February 6, 1884; Joseph H., born July 21. 1885: Bernard V., born October 4. 1887; Mary S., born Novem- ber 16, 1889; Sarah S., born January 22, 1892; Oscar V., deceased; Jane P., born March 12, 1897; Maud L., born August I, 1898; Samuel Y., born February 5, 1900; Virginia, born May 30, 1901; Esther K., born January 8, 1903.
HON. ROBERT M. YARDLEY, de- ceased. On the ninth day of December, 1902, passed away in Doylestown, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, one of the most popular and distinguished citizens of the county, one who by reason of eminent ability and distinguished services had achieved a fame far beyond the borders of his native county, and who by his gen- erous, kindly and affable traits had in- trenched himself in the hearts of the people.
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HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY.
Robert M. Yardley was born in Yard- ley, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, Octo- ber 9, 1850, a son of John and Ann ( Van Horn) Yardley. Of a distinguished an- cestry who had rendered to their county, state and nation distinguished and emi- nent services in nearly every generation, he rendered fully his mneed of service. He was reared in the village, (now bor- ough) of Yardley, and received a good academic education. As a young man he was engaged for a few years in assisting his father in the conduct of a large lum- ber and coal business at Yardley. At the age of eighteen he began the study of law in the office of his half-brother, Mahlon Yardley, Esq., and was admitted to the bar of Bucks county in 1872. He located in Doylestown, and immediately began the practice of his chosen profes- sion. He was a careful and conscien- tious student, a logical and forceful reas- oner and an eloquent speaker, and soon proved himself an able and strong law- yer, and merited and held the confidence of a large clientage.
In 1879 he was elected district attor- ney of the county against an adverse majority, and filled the office for three years with eminent ability. In politics he was an ardent Republican, and repre- sented his party and county in the na- tional convention of 1884. He was elected to the Fiftieth Congress in 1886, from the Seventh District, over Hon. George Ross, and made an enviable record. Re- turning to Doylestown and declining a ·re-election, he resumed the practice of his profession and soon reached the first rank as a lawyer. His reputation as an orator placed him upon the platform at many political and other assemblies, and his eloquent addresses, touched with a vein of humor, were always incisive, in- structive and to the point. He was ap- pointed receiver of the Keystone Nation- al Bank, Philadelphia, in 1891, and his
excellent administration of its affairs led to his appointment as receiver of the Spring Garden Bank, in 1894. He was interested in all that pertained to the best interests of his town and county, and generously contributed to every good cause, public or private. He was a director of the Bucks County Trust Company of the Doylestown Elec- trical Company, the Doylestown Gas Company, and an officer in several other local institutions. He was president of the Doylestown school board for several years prior to his death, and an active member of the local board of health. He was a member of the Ma- sonic fraternity and of the I. O. O. F.
Mr. Yardley was twice married, first in 1874, to Clara Bell, who died in 1883. and second, on April 21, 1892, to Re- becca P., widow of Levi. L. James, Esq., and daughter of John M. and Sarah (Roberts) Purdy, who survives him. An account of the ancestry of Mrs.
Yardley, is given on another page of this work. The news of the death of Mr. Yardley on December 9, 1902, was heard with profound regret and sorrow in all parts of Bucks county. The end came without warning; he had gone to his office as usual in the morning, and a few minutes after entering his private office died in his chair from heart fail- ure.
HENRY W. COMFORT. It is def- initely known that it was at a very early epoch in the settlement of the new world when the Comfort family was estab- lished in America, for John Comfort came from Flushing, Long Island, to the Friends Monthly Meeting held in Falls township, Bucks county, December 3, 1719, bringing with him a certificate from the former place. He settled in Amwell, Hunterdon county, New Jer- sey, and his life was devoted to reclaim- ing the wild land for purposes of civili- zation and to more advanced agricul- tural interests. He married Miss Mary Wilson, August 6, 1720, and they had three children: Stephen, Sarah and Rob- ert.
(II) Stephen Comfort, of the second generation, was married to Mercy Croasdale August 25, 1744. They had nine children; John; Ezra; Jeremiah; Stephen; Grace, the wife of Jonathan Stackhouse: Mercy, the wife of Aaron Phillipps: Moses: Robert; and Hannah.
(III) Ezra Comfort, son of Stephen Comfort, was born August II, 1747, and married Alice Fell, January 9, 1772. He was a recorded minister of the Society of Friends and exerted strong influence in behalf of the moral as well as mater- ial development of his community. In his family were six children: Elizabeth, who became the wife of Peter Roberts, and after his death married Benjamin White; Mercy, wife of Joshua Paxton; Grace, twin sister of Mercy, and the wife of Benjamin Gillingham; John; Ezra; and Alice.
(IV) Ezra Comfort, who was born April 18, 1777, was also a recorded minis- ter of the Society of Friends. He mar- ried Margaret Shoemaker, October 16, 1800, and they had nine children; Sarah, wife of Hughes Bell; Grace, wife of Charles Williams; Jane, who became the wife of Jones Yerkes, and after his death married Charles Lippencott: Ann, who married Isaac Jones; John S .; Alice, the wife of George M. Haverstick; Jere- mialı; David; and Margaret, wife of Henry Warrington.
(V) John S. Comfort, son of Ezra Comfort, was born May 25, 1810, in Plymouth, Montgomery county. Penn- sylvania. In early life he engaged in a lime business. building and owning kilns about ten miles from Easton on the Delaware division of the canal. He
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HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY.
shipped the first boatload of lime 'that was ever sent over the canal, and for a number of years supplied most of the farmers in the lower part of Bucks county. Later he turned his attention to the lumber business, which he con- ducted quite extensively in the Lehigh valley. About 1835 he purchased the farmi where his son, George M. Comfort, now resides, situated in Falls township, about a mile and a half from the village of Fallsington, whereon he spent his re- maining days, passing away in 1891. He married Jane C. Comfort, a daughter of Jeremiah and Sarah (Cooper) Comfort. Their only child was
(VI) George M., who was born April 10, 1837, in the house which is yet his home. He early engaged in agricultural pursuits, in which he was much inter- ested, finding it both congenial to his tastes and satisfactorily remunerative. He was a member of the first board of directors of The Peoples' National Bank of Langhorne, and is yet a member of the board of directors of the First Na- tional Bank of Trenton, New Jersey, and is president of the Bucks County Contributionship for Fire Insurance. Like his ancestors for several genera- tions, he is a member of the religious Society of Friends, and from early life has been actively engaged in its work. He married Ann Elizabeth, daughter of Moses and Mercy Comfort, of Penns Manor, on October 14, 1858. Their chil- dren are: Edward C., who died in child- hood; Henry W., born February 27, 1863; and William S., who died in child- hood.
(VII) Henry W. Comfort, the only surviving son of George M. and Ann Elizabeth Comfort, resides on and is operating the farm in Falls township which has been the family home for three generations. It includes an area of 225 acres, on which he keeps a large herd of high grade dairy cows, the milk from which is delivered daily to cus- tomers in the city of Trenton, New Jer- sey. This business was started by his grandfather in 1847, and the milk route has been constantly served from this farm ever since. Mr. Comfort is presi- dent of the John L. Murphy Publishing Company, president and treasurer of the International Pottery Company, of Treit- ton; a director of the Yardley National Bank, and is interested in, and vice- president of The William H. Moon Nur- sery Company. He has been actively associated with affairs touching the gen- eral interests of the neighborhood. is a director of the Morrisville Building and Loan Association, and of the Falls- ington Library Company, and is one of the managers of The Friends' Asylum for the Insane at Frankford, Philadel- phia.
Mr. Comfort has been twice married .. His first wife was Edith, daughter of
Samuel Ellis and Sarah B. DeCou, and his present wife was Lydia P., daughter of Ellwood and Mercy A. Parsons.
THE ELY FAMILY. The earliest men- tion of Ely as a family surname in Eng- land occurred during the reign of the Plantaganets after the Norman Con- quest. The English "Book of Digni- ties" records William De Ely as lord treasurer for King John and Richard I; Richard De Ely, lord treasurer for Rich- ard I and Henry II; Ralph De Ely, ba- ron of the exchequer for Henry III, (1240); Philip De Ely lord treasurer for Henry III (1271); Nicholas De Ely, lord chancellor, in 1260, Lord treasurer in 1263. and Bishop of Worcester 1266 to 1289. One branch of the family is known to have lived at Utterby, Lin- colnshire, from this early period down to the present day, L. C. R. Norris- Elye being the present Lord of the Man- or of Utterby and patron of the old thirteenth century church of . St. An- drew at that place. Wharton Dickinson, the New York genealogist, traces this line back to a connection with Ralph De Ely, Baron of the Exchequer. The Man- or House has the Ely arms, (a fesse engrailed between six fleurs-de-lis) cut in stone over the entrance, dated 1639. The same arms are also found in the church. Another branch is said to have settled in Yorkshire, and Burke gives the arms the same as above, but red instead of black. Papworth's "British Armorials" states that these arms were borne also by Nicholas De Ely and Sir Richard De Illey. In Bailey's "History of Nottinghamshire," John De Ely is stated to have been appointed the first vicar of St. Mary's Collegiate church at Nottingham in 1290, and its author adds that the name has "Come down to the present day." Another John De Ely was Lord of the Manor of Thornhaugh and Wiggesley in Nottinghamshire in 1316 (within a mile of Dunhan, where Joshua Ely resided before embarking for Am- erica in 1683.)
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