History of Bucks county, Pennsylvania, from the discovery of the Delaware to the present time, Vol. III, Part 50

Author: Davis, W. W. H. (William Watts Hart), 1820-1910; Ely, Warren S. (Warren Smedley), b. 1855; Jordan, John W. (John Woolf), 1840-1921
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: New York ; Chicago : The Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1040

USA > Pennsylvania > Bucks County > History of Bucks county, Pennsylvania, from the discovery of the Delaware to the present time, Vol. III > Part 50

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John Swartley, the subject of this sketch, was reared on the farm near Newville, and was educated at the local schools. In 1882 he entered the general merchandise store at Chalfont as clerk, and filled that position for sixteen years. In 1898 he entered into the mercantile business for himself, and carried it on for five years and then sold out. He was appointed postmaster of Chalfont in February, 1897 and still fills that posi- tion. He is a member of the Methodist church, and politically a Republican.

He married April 7, 1891, Laura Scholl, daughter of Leidy L. and Lucilla (Diehl) Scholl. They have no children.

DR. JOSEPH THOMAS, of Quaker- town, Bucks county, one of the best known public men of Upper Bucks, was born in New Britain township, June 15, 1829, and is of Welsh, English and Ger- man descent. His paternal ancestor, Alban Thomas, a native of Wales, lo- cated in Plumstead township about 1720, purchasing of Richard Hill 125 acres of land west of Danboro, and in 1749 adding fifty acres more, most of which remained in the family for four generations, Danboro itself being named for his son Daniel. Alban Thomas died June, 1776, his wife Jane surviving him a few years. Their children were Jo- seph, Daniel, and Isaac. Isaac, the third son, inherited the homestead, purchased other land adjoining, and lived there all his life, dying in 1825. He left several children, among them a son Alban, who was the grandfather of Dr. Thomas. Elias Thomas, son of Alban and grand- son of Isaac, was born at Danboro, Plumstead township, and on attaining manhood married Sarah Snyder, daugh- ter of Frederick Snyder, of German an- cestry, and settled on a farm in New Britain township, near the present vil- lage of Levin, where his son, Dr. Jo- seph Thomas was born.

Dr. Joseph Thomas received a good English education, and at the age of seventeen began teaching school, which vocation he followed for eight years. In 1854 he began the study of medicine, and, entering the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania, gradu- ated in 1856. He located at Applebachs-

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HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY.

ville, where he practiced his profession until the breaking out of the war in 1861, when he organized a company of which le was commissioned captain, and it was assigned to the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps. In the autumn of 1862 he was appointed surgeon of the 118th Corn Exchange Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, and subsequently became surgeon-in-chief of the field hospital and filled that position to the close of the war.

At the return of peace he again lo- cated at Applebachsville and resumed his professional work. In 1866 he was appointed assistant assessor of internal revenue and remoyed to Quakertown, Bucks county, where he has since re- sided. In 1870 he organized the Quak- ertown Savings Bank, was made its cashier, and filled that position until the bank closed out its successful career in 1877, by paying out to its stockhold- ers four dollars for every one dollar in- vested. The Quakertown National Bank was then organized, and Dr. Thomas became its president, and has filled that position ever since. Like its predeces- sor, the Quakertown National Bank, with Dr. Thomas at its head, has been one of the most successful banks in Bucks county, and has always stood in the first rank of financial institutions. In 1904 the Quakertown Trust Company was organized, and the veteran finan- cier Dr. Thomas was one of its prom- inent promoters and sponsers, and is still intimately identified with the conduct and management of this institution. Jonas S. Harley is its president.

Though he has not been in active practice of his profesion for many years, he is still considered one of the able physicians of Upper Bucks, and is fre- quently called in as a consulting physi- cian. Politically Dr. Thomas is an ar- dent Republican, and has always taken an active interest in the success of the party in whose principles he believes. In 1878 he was elected to the state sen- ate by a handsome majority, though at that time the county was strongly Dem- ocratic. He has served as delegate to state and national conventions, and has filled a number of local positions. In the midst of an extraordinary busy life Dr. Thomas has found time to devote to science and literature, and is one of the best versed men in the county on orni- thology and natural history. In con- nection with his former colleague, Dr. I. S. Moyer, of Quakertown, he prepared the catalogue of the flora, birds and mammals of Bucks county for General W. W. H. Davis's first edition of the History of Bucks County. He is past master of Quakertown Lodge, No. 512, F. and A. M., and is also a member of the chapter, commandery and other high branches of the Masonic fraternity, as well as a member of Quakertown Lodge,

No. 714, I. O. O. F. He belongs to Peter Lyle Post, G. A. R., No. 145, and to the Loyal Legion of the United States. Dr. Thomas married, April 3. 1860, Sarah Ott, daughter of Samuel and Eliza (Fluck) Ott, and they are the parents of one son, Byron, who has been for many years teller of Quakertown National Bank. Dr. Thomas is one of the best known and most highly re- spected men in Bucks county.

CHRISTIAN M. MYERS. Among the descendants of the early German settlers on the virgin land of Bedmin- ster, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, when it was still a wilderness and the haunt of the red men, is Christian M. Myers, still a resident of the township where his ancestors settled over a century and a half ago.

Hans Meyer, the pioneer ancestor and great-great-grandfather of Christian M. Myers, emigrated from Germany or Switzerland, about the year, 1718, and in 1729 purchased a plantation in Skippack township, Philadelphia (now Montgom- ery) county, in that part later incor- porated into Upper Salford township, still in the occupancy of his great-grand- son. Hans Meyer was a Mennonite and one of the pioneer settlers in that lo- cality. He was married before cmi- grating to America, and brought with him his eldest son Henry, then but a year old. Six other children were born to him in Pennsylvania, viz .: John, the great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch; Barbara, who married John Fretz, another pioneer in Bedminster; Jacob, who enlisted in the colonial war of 1756, and never returned; Elizabeth, who married Christian Stover; Anna, who married Jacob Beidler, and became the ancestress of Mrs. Christian M. Myers; and Hester, who married Nich- olas Lear.

John Meyer, born about 1720. settled in Bedminster township soon after at- taining manhood, on land owned by William Allen, Esq., which he later pur- chased. In 1762 he purchased a farm of two hundred acres in Plumstead township where he resided the remainder of his life. He was a farmer and blacksmith by occupation, and a member of the Mennonite congregation at Deep Run. He married a widow Nash, whose maid- en name was Sensenich, and they were the parents of children, Henry. Abraham, and Christian. all of whom learned their father's trade and followed it in connection with farming in Plum- stead: Hester and Mary, who lived to an advanced age, but never married; and Barbara, who married Charles Dyer.

Christian Myers, son of John. and the grandfather of the subject of this sketch. was born on the old Plumstead home- stead, April 24, 1772, and later pur-

HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY.

225

chased it, and lived there all his life. He followed blacksmithing for many years in the old smith-shop built by his father. He married Hanna Derstein, of Rockhill, where her ancestors were early settlers, born January 12, 1778, died August 27, 1848, and they were the parents of seven children, viz .: Amos, born 1800. died 1825, unmarried; John, died in infancy; Catharine, born February 14, 1803, married Abraham Wismer; Michael, born May 9, 1804, re- moved to Fairfield county, Ohio, where he died in 1889; Samuel, the father of the subject of this sketch; Abraham, born 1807, died 1834, unmarried; Charles, who married Susan Myers and left several sons still residing in Bucks county; and Isaac, who died in 1845, leaving an only daughter, Hannah Wolfsberger, of Philadelphia. Christian Myers, the father, died November 15, 1850.

Samuel Myers, son of Christian and Hanna (Derstein) Myers, was born on the old homestead in Plumstead, De- cember 27, 1805, and lived there all his life, dying February 4, 1879. He prob- ably learned the blacksmith trade with his father, but never followed it fur- ther than to do his own work in that line. He was a mechanical genius, do- ing his own shoe and harness making, and manufacturing most of the imple- ments of husbandry needed on the farm. Those were the days when the farmer was almost independent of the outside world except for the luxuries of life. Mr. Myers raised and prepared the flax and wool for the spinning wheel, and the clothes of the family were exclu- sively the product of the spinning of Mrs. Myers, and the weaving of the father. Samuel Myers married Decem- ber 24, 1835, Susanna Nash, born De- cember 30, 1810, daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Meyer) Nash, the latter be- ing also a descendant of Hans Meyer, the emigrant, through his eldest son Henry, who married Barbara Miller, and their son Henry, born 1750, (died in Plumstead) who married Susan Smith. Elizabeth (Meyer) Nash, the daughter of the last named Henry, was born August 16, 1786, and married Jacob Nash, of Tinicum, son of Joseph Nash, and grand- son of William Nash, another pioneer of Bedminster. Samuel and Susanna (Nash) Myers were the parents of eight children, viz .: Hannah, died in infancy; Tobias N., married Rosanna Kratz, and lived for a time in Plumstead, now a resident of Philadelphia: Jacob, married Maria Myers, and resides in Hilltown, Bucks county; Christian M., the sub- ject of this sketch; Amos, married Hilda Myers, and resides on the homestead in Plumstead, being the fourth generation in the township; Elizabeth, died at the age of nineteen years: Anna, widow of David Kratz; and Charles, deceased. Samuel Myers was a member of the old

Deep Run Mennonite congregation, and a man much respected in the commun- ity. He never held or sought office.

Christian M. Myers, son of Samuel and Susanna (Nash) Myers, who born April 29, 1841, on the old homestead in Plumstead, and educated at the public schools. He inherited the mechanical genius of his father, and made the first hay rake and hay drag used on the home farm, as well as a number of other im- piements of husbandry, and, in the ear- lier years of the conduct of the mill where he now resides, he dressed his own mill picks and did the necessary millwrighting about the mill. On his marriage in 1863 he took charge of the Stover mill, on Tohickon creek, in Bedminster township, near Pipersville, Pennsylvania, belonging to his father-in-law, Samuel Stover, and conducted it until 1904, keeping in pace with the times in the installation of improved machinery, having in 1885, equipped the mill with the latest improved roller process for the manufacture of flour, and again in 1903, installed the Gyrator system of bolting and other improvements. In 1904 he retired and turned the business over to Norman L. Worman, who had been his foreman and head miller for many years, and who is now doing a flourishing business there. Mr. Myers is a strong advocate of higher education, and has given each of his sons a col- lege education. He and his wife are not members of any church. but are liberal supporters of church, Sabbath school and charitable work, and to which and the temperance cause they have devoted much time and labor. Mr. Myers mar- ried, February 7, 1863, Eliza Beidler Stover, born February 22, 1844, daugh- ter of Samuel and Anna (Beidler) Stov- er, an account of whose ancestry fol- lows, and they are parents of three sons, viz .: I. Samuel Horace Myers, born May 9, 1864. a graduate of Lafayette Col- lege, class of 1888, and of the law de- partment of the University of Pennsyl- vania, July 17, 1892. He was admit- ted to the Philadelphia bar in 1892, and has since practiced there with success. He married, February 22. 1893, Elean- or Matilda Stover, daughter of Isaac S. and Ellen A. (Capner) Stover, and they are the parents of one daughter Roberta Eliza Myers, born October 9, 1897. 2. Hugh Ely Myers, born August 30, 1871, graduated at Lafayette Col- lege June 21, 1893, took a two years post-graduate course there in chemistry and is now employed as chemist with the United Engineering and Foundry Company, at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. 3. Ira Stover Myers, born August 3, 1876, educated at Germantown Academy and Lafayette College, graduated at College in class of 1898, is now in the office of his brother, Samuel Horace in Philadelphia.

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HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY.

Eliza B. (Stover) Myers, the wife of Christian M. Myers, is descended from pioneer settlers in Bucks and Montgomery counties, who have been prominently identified with the settle- ment and development of the native resources of the county. Henry Stauf- fer, (as the name Stover was then spelled) Mrs. Myers' paternal ancestor, was born and reared in Alsace or Man- heim, Rhenish Prussia, and married there in 1749, Barbara Hockman, and accompanied by Christian, Daniel and Ulrich Stauffer, probably his brothers and Ulrich Hockman, his wife's broth- er, sailed for Pennsylvania in the ship "St. Andrew," Captain James Abercrom- bie, from Rotterdam, arriving in Phila- delphia on September 9, 1749. He lo- cated in Bedminster township on the Allen tract, where he purchased 213 acres of land June 12, 1762, having pre- viously resided for a time among his compatriots on the Skippack in Mont- gomery county. The Bedminster home- stead remained the property of his de- scendants for nearly a century, having been sold by Reuben Stover, a great- grandson, in 1860 to Joseph Sine. The children of Henry and Barbara (Hock- man) Stauffer, were: I. Ulrich, born July 16, 1750, married Barbara Swartz, and died on the homestead November 2, 18II. 2. Barbara, died young. 3. Henry, born July 10, 1754, married Elizabeth Fretz, and settled near Bursonville, Springfield township. 4. Jacob, see for- ward. 5. Ralph, born June 10, 1760, died November 7, 1811, married Catharine Funk; was a very prominent man, jus- tice of the peace, member of assembly and one of the first board of directors of the poor of Bucks county.

Jacob Stover, third son of Henry and Barbara, born May 13. 1757, was reared in Bedminster township. During the war of the Revolution his father's team and wagon was pressed into the service of the continental army under General Sullivan, and Jacob, a lad of sixteen years, accompanied it in the Jersey campaign, and endured many hardships. He purchased the mill property now owned by the subject of this sketch, December 27, 1784, and resided there the remainder of his life, dying April 28, 1844. He married (first) Elizabeth Swartz, and had by her one daughter, Elizabeth, who married Philip Kratz. He married (second) Catharine Stauf- fer, daughter of Mathias and Anna (Clemens) Stauffer, who kept an inn in colonial times on their farm in Lower Salford, Montgomery county, where of- ficers of Washington's army were en- tertained and sheltered by them after the battle of Germantown. Mathias Stauffer was a son of Christian Stauffer, Jr., who died in Lower Salford in 1781, and a grandson of Christian Stauffer, a pioncer emigrant, who purchased 150

acres at the present site of Harleysville, Montgomery county, and died there in 1735, leaving a large family of children of whom Christian, Jr., was the eldest, and settled in Lower Salford in 1736. Jacob and Catharine Stover were the parents of eight children: Henry S., born October 17, 1786, died at Erwinna, Aug- ust 19, 1872, married Barbara Stout; Mathias, born April 28, 1789, died June 4, 1807; Anna, born 1791, married David Worman, a tanner, at Parkerford, Ches- ter county, Pennsylvania; Jacob, born July 12, 1794, died March 30, 1856, mar- ried Sarah Treichler; Abraham, died young; Catharine, born August 12, 1799, married Henry Funk and removed to Northumberland county; Jonas, born February 27, 1802, died 1855, a miller at Church Hill, Bucks county; Samuel, see forward; and Isaac, born March 13, 1806, died January 21, 1876, miller at Carversville, married Elizabeth Wismer.

Samuel Stover, father of Mrs. Myers, was the seventh child of Jacob and Cath- arine, and was born on the homestead, near Pipersville, November 25, 1804, and died there February 18, 1888. In 1836 he purchased of his father the brick dwell- ing erected in 1832, the mill and fifty acres of land, and in the same year re- built the mill. He continued to oper- ate the mill during his active days, and lived there all his life. He was a suc- cessful business man, and upright and conscientious in all his dealings. He married in December, 1836, Anna Beid- ler, born near Plumsteadville, Septem- ber 12, 1808, died March 2, 1893, daugh- ter of Jacob Beidler, and great-grand- daughter of Jacob and Anna (Meyer) Beidler, the latter daughter of Hans Meyer, the paternal ancestor of the sub- ject of this sketch, C. M. Myers. Sam- uel and Anna (Beidler) Stover were the parents of two children: Susan, born June 19, 1839, died March 25, 1842; and Eliza Beidler Stover, born February 22, 1844, the wife of Christian M. Myers. She was educated in the public schools of the township, both English and Ger- man, and at Excelsior Normal Institute at Carversville, in 1861, Rev. Dr. F. R. S. Hunsicker, principal, where Hon. D. Newlin Fell was also a pupil.

ISAAC PARRY. The name of Parry is closely interwoven with the history of eastern Pennsylvania, having been established in this part of the state when the country was still numbered among the colonial possessions of Great Brit- ain. The ancestors of Isaac Parry were in comfortable financial circumstances, and at the time of the Revolutionary war the homestead farm was foraged by both armies. On one occasion some British scouts made their way to the farm and seeing some fat sheep caught

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HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY.

and killed one, compelling Mrs. Parry to cook it for them in the Dutch oven, but before their feast was prepared some American troops arrived on the scene and the British fled, so that the Continental troops enjoyed the meal in- stead. The ancestry of the family is traced back through several generations to Thomas Parry, Sr., who emigrated from Radmanshire, Wales, settling in America in colonial days. He became one of the pioneer residents of Mont- gomery county, and assisted materially in promoting its substantial develop- ment and moral improvement. He lived a straightforward, honorable life, leav- ing an example for his descendants that is well worthy of emulation. He was a consistent member of the religious So- ciety of Friends, and successive genera- tions of the family have always adhered to that faith, living lives of simplicity without vanity. They have been con- servative to a considerable degree, and yet they have won success and gained the respect of all with whom they have been associated. The family has largely been represented in the great depart- ment of agriculture, and yet certain of its representatives have entered profes- sional and commercial life. Samuel Parry was a broadminded, intelligent business man, whose ability was often sought by people of the neighborhood who wished him to write wills, settle estates or act as guardian to minors. Thomas Parry, Sr., the progenitor of the family in America, obtained a large tract of land near Baronhill, Montgom- ery county, where he improved an ex- tensive farm, being one of the promi- nent and successful agriculturists of his day. Upon the home place he reared his family and continued to reside until his death.

His son, Thomas Parry, Jr., was reared to manhood on the old home- stead, and after his marriage located in Warminster township, Bucks county, where by purchase he became the pos- sessor of large landed holdings. Set- tling thereon he improved the property, and a part of it is yet in possession of his descendants. He continued to reside thereon until his death.

Jacob Parry, son of Thomas Parry, Jr., was reared on the home farm in Warminster township, and at the time of his marriage took his bride to that farm and reared his family there.

Isaac Parry, son of Jacob Parry, in- herited the old homestead and he, too, reared his family there.

Isaac Parry, son of Isaac Parry, in turn inherited the old homestead, reared his family thereon, and died on the farm. Isaac Parry was born in June, 1774, and passed away in October, 1857. He. first married Sarah Hopkins, and they became the parents of three chil- dren: Rebecca, Jacob, and Richard H.

After the death of his first wife Isaac Parry wedded Mary Nixon, a daughter of Samuel and Susan (Roberts) Nixon, also of a prominent early family of Bucks county. By the second marriage there were six children: Tacey, who died unmarried; Thomas, Samuel, Isaac C., Susanna, and Mary, who was the wife of Joseph Saunders, of Philadel- phia.

Thomas Parry, second child of Isaac and Mary (Nixon) Parry, was born at the Parry homestead in Warminster township, was reared upon the farm there and at the time of his marriage took his bride to the old home place. He wedded Lydia Conard, a native of Hors- ham township, Montgomery county, and a daughter of Josephine and Hannah (Nixon) Conard. In his younger days her father was engaged in the lumber business at Philadelphia, but afterward removed to Horsham township, Mont- gomery county, where he purchased land and carried on farming. He also built a mill known in after years as Walker's mills. This is still in use, being operated by Eugene Blair. Jonathan Conard spent the remainder of his life at that place and died upon his farm near the mill. He was a mem- ber of the religious Society of Friends, and was highly respected. His children were: John; Charles, a carpenter and builder of Philadelphia; Susanna. the wife of W. Folk; Deborah, the wife of N. Cleaver; Mary, the wife of B. Brown, of Byberry; Ann, the wife of B. Mor- gan; Lydia, who became Mrs. Thomas Parry; and Rebecca J., who died un- married. All were members of the re- ligious Society of Friends. Following his marriage Thomas Parry lived on a farm which he purchased from Jonathan Conard, now the property of Isaac Parry. He remodeled this farm, made substantial improvements, and continued to carry on agricultural pursuits there through- out his remaining days, passing away in 1857 at the age of forty-five years. He followed general farming and also at- tended the city market, and was practical and successful in all his business deal- ings. He was a devoted member of the Friends Society, ever active in church work and was a generous contributor toward the erection of the Warminster Meeting. which was built on one cor- ner of his farm and is yet standing as a monument to the religious enterprise of its promoters. Politically he was an Abolitionist in early life. He at all times commanded the respect and confi- dence of those with whom he was asso- ciated because of his upright life and honorable purpose. To him and his wife were born eight children: Ed- ward H., who served in the First New Jersey Cavalry during the war of the rebellion, joining the army with the rank of corporal and returning with

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HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY.

the rank of lieutenant, is now proprietor of a hat store in Philadelphia. Rebec- ca C., who became the wife of J. Tyson, of Abingdon, but both are now deceased; Isaac is the third of the family; Oliver, is a farmer of Warminster township; William is a practicing physician of Haynesport, New Jersey; Charles C. is a farmer of Wrightstown township; Thomas E. is living in California; Jo- seph S. is an attorney-at-law of Ho- boken, New Jersey.

Isaac Parry was born upon the home farm, June 30, 1844, and under his fa- ther's instructions learned the various meth- ods of tilling the soil and caring for the crops. In 1869 he was married, after which he rented the homestead and con- tinued its cultivation for two years. In 1872 he purchased the Hart homestead, including the town site of Ivyland. He removed to this farm, remaining there- on for five years, and then sold forty acres of the land to Edwin Lacey, who desired to build the town of Ivyland there. Later he sold the remainder of the farm to Comly Walker, and in 1877 removed from the place. In 1878 he took up his abode upon the old Parry homestead, and in 1886 purchased the interest of the other heirs in the prop- erty, making his home thereon continu- ously. In 1877 he bought the interest of L. W. Damenhower in a coal and feed business at Bradyville, and continued in the business twenty-eight years. He se- cured an extensive patronage through- out the surrounding country, and gave his personal attention to his mercantile interests, while his farm is operated un- der his personal supervision. He is both a practical and successful agriculturist and business man. In his political views Mr. Parry has always been a stanch Republican, and his filled some township offices, including those of audi- tor and supervisor, yet he has always preferred to give his undivided attention to his business affairs. In addition to his agricultural and commercial inter- ests, he is a stockholder in the National Bank and in other corporations. He has a wide and favorable acquaintance, is known for his reliability and enterprise, and stands to-day as one of the repre- sentative men of his community. Mr. Parry was married March II, 1869, to Miss Elizabeth Logan, who was born at Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, and is a daughter of George and Jane (Shoe- maker) Logan, belonging to one of the old and honored families of eastern Pennsylvania. The children of the Lo- gan family were Elizabeth; Theodore, now deceased; and Albanus. To Mr. and Mrs. Parry have been born three children: Samuel D., who is principal of the Olney public school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; George, a practicing dent- ist of Jenkintown; and Charles K., who is engaged in the lumber business of

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History of Bucks county, Pennsylvania, from the discovery of the Delaware to the present time, Vol. III, Part 50

Author: Davis, W. W. H. (William Watts Hart), 1820-1910; Ely, Warren S. (Warren Smedley), b. 1855; Jordan, John W. (John Woolf), 1840-1921 Publication date: 1905 Publisher: New York ; Chicago : The Lewis Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1040

Author: Davis, W. W. H. (William Watts Hart), 1820-1910; Ely, Warren S. (Warren Smedley), b. 1855; Jordan, John W. (John Woolf), 1840-1921
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: New York ; Chicago : The Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1040