Henry M Hinkson
Henry M Hinkson. For a century and a half the Hinkson family have been an important and influential factor in the history of the southern section of the territory now comprising Delaware county. Tradition asserts that early in the Seventeenth century several brothers named Hansett emigrated from Hanover, in the north of Germany, to county Cavan, in the north of Ireland, where the name underwent a change, taking the present form of Hinkson, which is wholly of Saxon-English origin.
Prior to 1750, John and Jane (Morrow) Hinkson. with an infant son, Thomas, emigrated from county Cavan to the province of Pennsylvania. During the voyage to their new home in the colonies was born at sea to the young couple an infant son who was called John, after the father. The emigrant ancestor settled in Upper Providence, where he prospered. As early as 1770, John, the son mentioned, was operating a saw mill in Nether Providence, on Vernon's run. James Hinkson, the third son born in the colony, and the great-uncle of Henry M. Hinkson, prior to 1790 purchased several tracts of land in Nether Providence, Where the Providence great road and the Wallingford road cross each other. The eldest son, Thomas, acquired other lands, abutting upon .the road, hence that locality, in a descriptive sense, was known as "Hinkson's Corners," a name which is still applied to it.
John Hinkson, third, second son of John and Abigail (Engle) Hinkson, was born in Nether Providence, July 27. 1792. He received an ordinary education of a well-to-do farmer's son of those times, particular care being given to penmanship, in which the boy displayed aptitude, and in after life he was noted for his handwriting, which has been likened to copper-plate. Until twenty-two John Hinkson had remained on the ancestral farm. but when, in the summer of 1814, the militia of the state was called into service to repel the threatened attack by Admiral Cockhurn's fleet and the British army under General Ross, he held rank as sergeant in the Delaware County Troop of Horse, and in 1820, when the troop was reorganized, he became its captain. In 1816 he married Jemima Worrell, a daughter of Joseph Worrell, of Upper Providence, and the couple resided at the court house, the young husband having received the appointment of steward. There, the following year, their eldest child, Joseph H. Hinkson, was born, hence the latter was wont to declare that he "was born in the work house and brought up in the jail," for in 1825 his father was elected sheriff, and the office required that the incumbent should reside in the borough of Chester in the dwelling part of the jail. In 1834 John Hinkson was elected prothonotary, clerk of the orphans' court, recorder of deeds and register of wills. In 1836 or 1837 he represented Delaware County in the legislature, a position he filled with credit to his constituency and himself, but he declined a renomination. Although still active in public affairs, Mr. Hinkson retired to his farm in Chester Township, where his health gradually failing, he died, on July 30, 1844, aged fifty-two. To his first marriage were born two sons and one daughter. He married, second, Orpha, daughter of Joseph and .Alice Neide, to which union were born three sons and one daughter. The latter, Sarah, became the Wife of Ellis Smedley. The other children were Henry M., the subject of this sketch ; William, who married Annie, daughter of Edward Engle, to which marriage were born four sons and four daughters, and his second wife was Susan, daughter of Samuel Black, of Chester ; Frederick Hinkson married Annie Hansen, and to the union were born two sons and five daughters.
Henry M. Hinkson, eldest son, was born June 14, 1829, at the old Hinkson homestead, near Sneath's corner, Chester Township. The lad, who was fifteen when his father died, attended the schools in the neighborhood and in the borough of Chester. In his eighteenth year he entered the store of George Baker, a cousin, who then conducted in Chester a large general mercantile business. For one year he continued in that employment, when he decided to take up higher branches of classical and mathematical studies than those in which he had been instructed, and with that end in view became a student in a noted academy in Norristown, where he remained for several years. On his return home he managed with profit one of the ancestral farms. By this time Chester had begun to develop rapidly, and much ground which had been used in grazing was laid out with streets and avenues. Mr. Hinkson, who was possessed of considerable means, purchased lots in growing localities and engaged in real estate enterprises, in association with his nephew. the late Hon. John B. Hinkson. While not a speculator, he was quiet to -see and appreciate the causes which would lead to enhancing of values of lots in certain localities, and subsequent events proved the accuracy of his judgment. Mr. Hinkson was a man of striking appearance, cultured in address and bearing. So natural was this that he was popularly known, as "Gentleman Harry." Although frequently solicited to accept nominations for city and county offices, he refused except in one instance, in 1867, when he was elected alderman of the middle ward, a position he held for five years, making a record as one of the best administrators in the history of the office. In 1888 the Penn street planing mills, which he owned, became vacant, and as no tenant applied for the plant he successfully conducted the business until his death, although he had no practical experience theretofore in that branch of industrial activity.
Mr. Hinkson died at Chester, May 17, 1890, aged sixty. Midway of the cast transept of St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal Church in Chester is a three paneled stained glass window, 'rich in colorings and beautiful in detail, representing the Crucifixion, which is in loving memory of him. October 10, 1872. Mr. Hinkson married Catherine R. Taylor, daughter of Joseph and Hannah (Berdett) Taylor, who are probably in the Taylor line descendants of Christopher Taylor, one of William Penn's provincial council and president judge of the court of Chester in 1684. Mrs Hinkson's grandfather on the paternal side was Israel Taylor, of Aston, who Married Ann Malin, of Upper Providence, where her father was born. The young couple shortly afterwards removed to the ancestral estates in Aston. Her maternal grandfather was Joseph Taylor. of Upper Providence, a soldier of the Revolution, who was captured by the British, and with other prisoners of war was transported to St. Johns, New Brunswick, where he was held awaiting exchange until the close of the war brought him' release. He married Esther Hewes, of St. Johns, whose father, Joseph Taylor, was a noted surveyor and mathematician. In 1844 he was elected prothonotary, recorder and register of Delaware County, which necessitated his removal to Chester, then the county scat. On the expiration of his official term he resumed the practice of his profession. For the late Hon. John Locker, Jr., he platted most of the present second, fourth and fifth wards, and when the city was incorporated he became the first surveyor, an office be held for a number of years. He was also surveyor for the county of Delaware and the borough of Darby, and laid out the Chester Rural Cemetery, of which he was one of the projectors. Joseph Taylor died February 27, 1884, in his eighty-second year. One child was born to Mr. and Mrs. Henry M. Hinkson, Alice N.. who died in infancy. Mrs. Henry M. Hinkson is an active member of St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal Church, treasurer of its Dorcas Society, and a director of the J. Lewis Crozer Home. for Incurables. She is also active in Charitable work, and is one of the early members of the New Century Club of Chester.
Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Chester and Delaware Counties, Pennsylvania: Gilbert Cope & Henry Graham Ashmead, The Lewis Publishing Company, New York & Chicago, 1904
Pages 47-48 Volume II
Transcribed by: Martha A Crosley Graham 12 December 2006
Henry Longfellow Brinton
Henry Longfellow Brinton was born August 5, 1836, at the Brinton homestead in Birmingham Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, of the seventh generation of Brintons in America. His father was Joseph Brinton, born 1786, died 1868, a son of William and Deborah Darlington Brinton of Birmingham, members of the Society of Friends, owning and farming a large tract of land near Brandywine creek.
The original settler of the Brinton family was William Brinton, who emigrated with his family from Birmingham, England, in the spring of 1684, following William Penn, the proprietary, of whose religious tenets he was an adherent. He was a man of sterling integrity, peaceful disposition and indomitable perseverance. He purchased land and established a home in the unbroken wilderness, among the Indians, with whom he associated on terms of friendly intercourse. After a winter of hardship and privation, in 1685-6 he purchased additional land, increasing his holding to one thousand acres, extending three miles westward to the Brandywine. A portion of the stone dwelling- erected in after years by his son William is now embraced in the handsome residence of Henry Fawcett, near Dilworthtown, the eastern end of the tract. The progenitors of the line of Brintons to which the subject of this sketch belongs, including the pioneer, were : William, born in England, 1630, married Ann Bagley of England, 1659; William, born England, i666, married Jean Thatcher, 169o, in Pennsylvania; Edward, born 1704, married Hannah Peirce; George, born 1730, married Esther Matlack ; William, born 1756, married Deborah Darlington ; Joseph, born 1786.
Joseph Brinton was twice married, his first wife being Jane Croslcy, of Delaware. Of their six children none arc living: they were Lavinia, Charlotte, Malinda, Edmund, Franklin and Deborah. His second wife was Susan Hackett, (laughter of Andrew and Mary Braden Hackett, who emigrated from the northern section of Ireland to America in 1798. The resulting family consisted of eight sons and two daughters Emmor, T. Elwood, William S., Henry L., Alfred, David R. P., Anna Mary, Levis, Elizabeth H. and Joseph. He was the father of the largest family of children of any of the line, all of whom except two grew to maturity, the last of the first family, Malinda Pierce, dying January, 1904, at the age of eighty-six years. In 1844 he sold one hundred acres of his fine farm in Birmingham to Clement Biddle, of Philadelphia, who was a minister of the Society of Friends at Birmingham Meeting for many years. This was the original home of the Darlington family in America. Here his mother, Deborah Darlington, daughter of John Darlington, was born and resided at the time of the battle of Brandywine, in 1777. It was purchased for Joseph by his father, William Brillion, who erected near site of the old Darlington house, in 1818, a large stone mansion with a fine outlook towards the Brandywine creek and the western hilts beyond. It still remains in a good state of preservation. Here Henry was born in 1836, and in his early years, among the beautiful surrounding meadows, hills and forests, imbibed his ardent love of nature.
Henry L. Brinton was a farmer boy and received his early education at Birmingham public school. When nearly seventeen years old he entered the "Village Record" office in West Chester; and served four years apprenticeship at the printing trade, and was afterwards connected with The "American Publican" newspaper, West Chester. In the ig of 1861 he removed with his family to Oxford, Chester County, and established the first printing office in that fast developing town. In 1866, February 14, he founded "The Oxford Press," and in 1892 admitted his sons Douglas E. and William G. to partnership in the business. The office and paper gained an extensive patronage, the "Press" having the largest circulation of any paper in the county, with one exception, and but few weeklies of the state exceeding it.
He married Sarah F. Fisher, daughter of James and Sarah Freeman Fisher, of Uwehlan Township, Chester County, who died at Oxford in 1890. The children of this union were two sons and one daughter???Douglas Emerson born August 27, 1859; married Hettie B. Hickman, of Oxford. Children : Bradford H., Madeleine (died in infancy), Sarah G., Elizabeth L., Anna M. and Henry L., Jr. William Gunkle Brinton, born May 24, 1865, married Mary Elder, of Lewistown, Pennsylvania???Children : George E., Robert Henry and Esther. Anna Brinton, born February 23, 1873; married Thomas F. Grier, of Oxford???Children: Evelyn Brinton. His second marriage, to Elizabeth Haines-Lincoln, daughter of Nathan and Lydia P. Haines, born in Lancaster County in 1840, took place November 19, 1895.
Henry L. Brinton served in the emergency periods of the Civil war, with his brother Ellwood, and his brothers Alfred, David and Levis were veterans during most of the time of the great struggle for the preservation of the Union. His father was a volunteer in the war of 1812, encamped at Marcus Hook for three months. He was a school director in Oxford for fifteen years and held other local offices. Himself and children are members of the Presbyterian church, and in politics is an independent Republican.
Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Chester and Delaware Counties, Pennsylvania: Gilbert Cope & Henry Graham Ashmead, The Lewis Publishing Company, New York & Chicago, 1904 - Pages 159-160
John B Hinkson
HON. JOHN B. HINKSON, prominent in the professional and political affairs of Delaware county, Pennsylvania, came from a family of remote German origin, though living in Ireland and intermixed with old Irish stock for several generations previous to being planted in. America. Tradition states that three brothers of the name left Hanover, in northern Germany, early in the seventeenth century, and settled in county Cavan, in the north of Ireland, from whence came John Hinkson and Jane his wife, with one son, about the year 1765, and settled in Upper Providence township, Delaware county, Pennsylvania. From him all the Hinksons of the United States arc descended. In addition to the son Thomas, whom they brought with them, and who afterward married Mary Worrilow, three sons and four daughters were born to John and Jane Hinkson: John, married Abigail Engle; George, married Catharine Fairlamb; James, married Elizabeth Crossley; Jane, married Thomas D. Weaver; Alary, died unmarried ; Sarah, married William Hawkins; and Nancy, married Joseph Dickerson. Their descendants arc now scattered through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Maryland and some other states.
The children of John and Abigail (Engle) Hinkson (married in 1784) were:
1. Jane, who married Ambrose Smedley;
2. Frederic, who died in infancy;
3. Ann, who married David Baker;
4. John, grandfather of the subject of this sketch;
5. Abigail, who died in early childhood ;
6. Mary, who married Abraham Minor;
7. Joseph Engle, who married Ann Black;
8. Orpha, who married Jacob Evans; 9. Frederic James, who became a prominent financier of this county;
10. Edward Engle, who married Sarah Slawter.
The second son, Hon. John Hinkson, was born and reared in Delaware County, where for a time he followed agricultural pursuits and became prominent and prosperous. He was a Democrat in politics, and served as steward of the Delaware county infirmary, and later as sheriff of the county. He was also elected to the assembly and served with distinction for one term, and occupied also the positions of prothonotary, clerk of the court, recorder of deeds and register of wills in this county for a number of years, filling all these offices with marked ability. He died in 1844, in the fifty-fourth year of his age. He was twice married, first to Jemima Worrall, and after her death to Orpha Neide.
His oldest son vas Joseph H. Hinkson, who was born in the county of Delaware in 1817, and passed all his life there, dying in the city of Chester in 1864, at the early age of forty-seven years. He was first a farmer and then a successful lumber and coal dealer. Politically he was a Democrat, and served as treasurer of Delaware County. In religion he was a Presbyterian. In 1840 he married Lydia Ann, daughter of Edward and Mary Edwards. His wife was a native of the county, of Welsh descent, her family being among the oldest in Delaware County. To them was born a family of children, five sons and two daughters, viz.: John B., the subject of this sketch, Edward E., Mary E., Lizzie E. (wife of John R. Sweney, musical director), Samuel E., Perciphor B. and Joseph H.
John Baker Hinkson, oldest son of Joseph H. and Lydia Ann (Edwards) Hinkson, was born October 2, 1840, in Chester, Pennsylvania. He was educated in the schools and in an academy in his native town, and at Lafayette College, from which he was graduated in 1860 with honors. He read law under the preceptorship of Hon. John M. Broomall, and was admitted to the bar in August, 1863. He was a busy and successful practitioner during a long career, guarding large interests of a numerous and wealthy clientele. He was always ardent in the maintenance of Democratic principles, and ever exerted a potent influence in the councils of his party, which he frequently represented in local and state conventions. While on the stump, in many momentous campaigns, he was a favorite and capable exponent of the policies which claimed his support. He served on occasions as a member of the city council, and in 1893 a splendid tribute was paid to his ability and integrity by his election to the mayoralty, in which contest he received a substantial majority in face of a large adverse party majority. In the discharge of the duties which he assumed, he rendered such valuable service to the community as to obtain the warm commendation and gratitude of all classes, and his administration has gone on record as unparalleled in point of usefulness, economy and devotion to public interests.
Mr. Hinkson was married on May 16, 1864, to Kate W. Caldwell, the youngest daughter of John A. and Sarah Jane (Warrington) Caldwell, of the city of Chester. Of their union was born a family of five children, four sons and a daughter: Joseph H., an attorney at law of Chester; John Ca/dwell, who is also an attorney at taw and second vice-president of the Delaware Trust, Safe Deposit and Title Insurance Company, of Chester; Alfred H., who died when about eighteen years of age; Ridgely Graham, a superintendent of mining operations in Colorado; and Mary Edwards. Mr. Hinkson was a member of the Third Presbyterian church of Chester, in which he served as elder and trustee for many years. He died May 22, 1901.
Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Chester and Delaware Counties, Pennsylvania: Gilbert Cope & Henry Graham Ashmead, The Lewis Publishing Company, New York & Chicago, 1904 Pages 160-161
Biography transcribed by: Martha A Crosley Graham
Elijah D Crosley
ELIJAH D. CROSLEY,
farmer, P. O. Coon's Corners, was born in Cumberland County, N. J., March 2,
1818, son of Moses and Catherine (Ayers) Crosley. Moses was a native of New
Jersey, and settled in Hayfield Township, this County, in 1836, locating on
the farm now owned by Robert Devore. where he lived and died. He bad eleven
children, viz.: James, Moses (deceased) Aaron (deceased), Edmund, Moses.
Elijah D., Richard, Amasa (deceased) .Nathan, (deceased), Elizabeth
(deceased), Mary (deceased.) The subject of this sketch has been twice
married; on first occasion to Eunice, daughter of Miles Curtis. of Hayfield
Township, this county, by whom be had three children: Edmund, Miles and an
infant daughter, deceased. His present wife was Mrs. Laura Lake, daughter of
Amasa Colegrove, of Litchfield, Ohio, by whom he has one child ???Abram. Mr.
Crosley has resided in Hayfield Township since 1836. He purchased his
present farm in 1845, which he cleared, and on which he has made all the
improvements. He is one of the representative citizens of Hayfield Township;
is a member of the Seventh Day Baptist Church. He has held various offices
in the gift of his township; in politics is a stanch Republican.
History of Crawford County, Pennsylvania : Warner, Beers & Co,
Chicago, 1885
Page 875
Biography transcribed by: Martha A Crosley Graham
Richard D Crosley
RICHARD D.CROSLEY, mason, Cambridgeboro, was born in Collins Steuben Co N. Y November 5. 1825; son ofMoses and Catherine (Avers Crosley who settled in Hayfield Township, this county, in 1834. Only four of the eleven children born to them are now living: James in Cortland County, NY, Edwin, in Illinois, Moses, in Hayfield township, this county, and Richard D, who resided in Hayfield Township, this county, till he was twenty-five years of age. He learned his trade at Conneautville, and in 1858 located in Cambridge, where he has lived ever since. Our subject has been twice married; on the first occasion, December 29, 1860, to Mary L, daughter of Samuel St. John, of Washington Township, Erie Co., Penn, by whom there were two children: Mary C, wife of Derastus Closson, of Cussewago Township this county, and Miles R. His second marriage. May 30, 1875 was with Martha Collins, a native of Delaware, of German descent, and a daughter of Samuel H. and Eliza R. (Cole) Collins, of South Carolina. Mr Crosley has been a School Director of Hayfield, and has held other minor offices. In politics he is a Republican.
History of
Crawford County, Pennsylvania : Warner, Beers & Co, Chicago, 1885
Page 804
Biography transcribed by: Martha A Crosley Graham
Nancy W [Page] Gilliland
MRS. NANCY W. GILLILAND,
P. 0. Linesville, was born in Warren, Penn., September 15, 1821, daughter of
Thomas T. and Margaret Page, who were born and brought up in Philadelphia,
parents of ten children. They were good, Christian people, members of the
Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Page, who had been a farmer all his days,
died in 1849, his widow in 1853. Our subject, who is fifth in the family,
was married in September, 1847, to Samuel Gilliland, a native of Conneaut
Township, son of Samuel Gilliland, Sr., one of the very early settlers and
farmers of Conneaut Township, the father of a large family. Samuel
Gilliland, Jr., died in March, 1865, leaving his widow, our subject, over
140 acres of excellent land, most of which he and his sons cleared. He
carried on a lumber business at one time in Warren County, Penn., in which
he earned the money that bought his farm. Mrs. Gilliland is the mother of
three children: William P., married and has a family; Frank L., also married
and has a family; and Samuel D., who is single and lives with his mother,
managing the old homestead which they still hold. Our subject managed to
keep her children together after her husband's death, and raised them in a
manner reflecting the highest credit on her. She and two eldest sons are
members of the Disciple Church.
History of Crawford County, PA : Warner, Beers & Co., Chicago, 1885
Page 825
Biography transcribed by: Martha A Crosley Graham
William Jones
WILLIAM JONES, a leading citizen of Birmingham Township, is descended from a
family which has long been resident in this county, having been planted
there by William Jones, who settled on a two-hundred-acre tract of land in
Birmingham Township. It is probable that he also erected the mansion, which
was built about the middle of the eighteenth century, and is still the
residence of his descendants. He married and was the father of the following
children:
Phoebe, born May 5.1739
Joseph, born June 25, 1741
Mary, born March 25, 1744
William, born November 22, 1745
Thomas, born April 25, 1750
Joseph, born August 21, 1754
Samuel, who was born April 5, 1758, married and was the father of three
children;
Mary, who was born May 19, 1795, and married Townsend Sharpless
Brinton, mentioned hereinafter;
William, who was born November 11, 1804 married, and was the father of four
children; Harrv, Charles, Lydia and Mary. Samuel Jones died in 1829.
Brinton Jones, son of Samuel and Lydia Jones, was born December 17,1797, and
in course of time inherited the homestead. In 1858 he remodeled the family
mansion, raising it one story. This historic structure is identified in an
interesting manner with the struggle for independence. During an engagement
between the British and Continental forces previous to the battle of
Brandywine, the house was struck a glancing blow by a British cannonball
which left an indentation that is still plainly visible in the brick wall.
Brinton Jones married Mary Woodward, and the following children were born to
them:
Thomas, Anna, William, mentioned at length hereinafter, Samuel, Mary, and
George. The
death of Brinton Jones occurred in January, 1863.
William Jones, son of Brinton and Mary (Woodward) Jones, was born August 12,
1842,
on the homestead, to the ownership of which he succeeded on the death of his
father. He devotes himself to agricultural pursuits, and his neighbors and
fellow citizens have several times testified to the esteem in which they
hold him by electing him to local offices. He is a staunch Republican,
following in political matters the traditions of Ins ancestors, who were
ardent Whigs.
Mr. Jones married, in September, 1873, Mary, daughter of James Painter, of
Birmingham Township. Mrs. Jones died two months after giving birth to a son.
Harry Brinton, who is still un-married, and resides in Cleveland. Ohio,
where he is engaged in business as a florist.
Pages 404-405
Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Chester and Delaware Counties,
Pennsylvania: Gilbert Cope & Henry Graham Ashmead, The Lewis Publishing
Company, New York & Chicago, 1904 ??? Vol II - Pages 404-405
Biography transcribed by Martha A Crosley Graham
Edward J Hadfield
DR. EDWARD J. HADFIELD, of Phoenixville; Pennsylvania, is not one of the oldest or one of the longest established physicians of the place. But his life bas been an eventful one, and he has put into it an amount of effort, and drawn from it a fund of experience that would stand well to the account of a man twice his years.
He is of English descent, and comes of strong, pioneering stock. His paternal grandfather came to this country early in the nineteenth century, when good agricultural lands were to be had for the taking in the west, and settled in Wisconsin. His son, the father of Dr. Hadfield, was also engaged in farming, and had manufacturing interests as well.
The parents of Edward J. Hadfield died when he was but a child. He was born at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, February 11, 1868, and when only sixteen years old came to Philadelphia. Here he found employment as clerk in a drug store, and from the beginning he worked consistently for his advancement. He obtained a degree from the College of Pharmacy, Philadelphia, but he had now become ambitious to take a medical course. And to such good purpose did he apply himself that he qualified for his degree and was graduated from the Jefferson Medical College in 1890. He opened an office in Philadelphia, but the strain which he had put upon his health during his preparatory work now began to tell seriously. He was obliged to give up professional work for the time being, and he left Philadelphia for good: During the next seven years he went about in various parts of the west, in search of health, and with an eye to a permanent location. He went first to Iowa, then spent a season in Colorado Springs, and finally made his way to California. But he returned to Pennsylvania, and in 1897 took up his residence in Phoenixville, where his professional skill has met with gratifying recognition. He has identified himself with the life of the town, is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and gives his political support to the Republican Party.
Dr. Hadfield married Miss Flaharty, of Lancaster County, and has one son, Homer Hugo.
Henry C Darlington
HENRY C. DARLINGTON. Among the many families of prominence whose names are inseparably connected and associated with the history of Chester county, Pennsylvania, is the Darlington family, many members of which have occupied eminent social and political positions, being public-spirited men of sterling probity and integrity. The progenitors of the American branch of the family were Abraham and John Darlington, sons of Job and Mary Darlington, of Darnhall, Cheshire, England, who emigrated to America prior to 1711, and settled near the town of Chester, in what is now Delaware county.
Abel Darlington, father of Henry C. Darlington, was born in Westtown township, Chester county, in 1817, this being also the birth place of his father, Benedict Darlington, grandfather of Henry C. Darlington, who after completing his education in the common schools pursued the occupation of farming. The boyhood and early youth of Abel Darlington was spent in attending the district school, where he obtained a practical education, and assisting his father with the duties of the home farm where he acquired a thorough knowledge of that useful calling. Subsequently he removed to Cecil county, Maryland, but after a residence of five years in that section of the country, during which time he followed agricultural pursuits, he returned to Chester county, settled in Londonderry township and there spent the remainder' of his days. In politics Mr. Darlington was a Republican, giving an earnest and active support to the candidates of that party, awl for many years he served his township in the capacity of justice of the peace.
Mr. Darlington was twice married, his first wife having been Mary. Neilds, a daughter of Cheney Neilds, a merchant of West Chester, Pennsylvania. His second wife was Margaret Burns, a daughter of William Burns, of Uppvr Oxford, Chester County, Pennsylvania. The following named children were born to Mr. Darlington by his first wife: Rachel, wife of John Burns; four children have been born of this marriage. Susan, wife of Caleb Pierce ; they have a family of four children. Angeline, wife of William Pyle, and mother of two children. Hannah, wife of Jeremiah Underwood ; they are the parents of four children. Caroline, wife of Lindley Way, and one child has been the issue Of this marriage. Sarah, who died in infancy. Harriet, wife of Maris Pierce, and mother of four children. Eva, died in early life. Josephine, wife of William. Benedict, married Susan Lund, and four children have been the issue of this union. Otley, married Marion Coulter. Henry C. Darlington.
Henry C. Darlington, youngest child of Abel and Mary Darlington, was born in Cecil County, Maryland, in 1845. His preliminary education was obtained at the common schools of the neighborhood, and later he was a Student at the Unionville Academy in West Marlborough Township, where he completed his studies. He began his business career as a farmer and, with the exception of a few years when he conducted a coal trade, he has followed that line of industry up to the present time (1903). 1898 he purchased his present home in Londonderry Township, the farm consisting of twelve acres of productive land, and here he is enjoying the ease and comfort of a retired life. In his political views Mr. Darlington is a Republican, and has been called to a number of public positions by his fellow townsmen, who recognized his worth and ability. When the emergency call for troops was made during the progress of the Civil war, Mr. Darlington was among the first to respond, and for several months performed garrison duty.
In 1864 occurred the marriage of Mr. Darlington and Anna J. McCollough, born in Upper Oxford township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, in 1845, the daughter of the late John S. and Maria (Hays)McCollough, the former named leaving been engaged in fanning pursuits in Upper Oxford township. Two children were born of this union, namely: William R., born in 1865, married Minnie Feagley, and Mary N. Darlington, born in i466. The family are earnest and consistent members of Fag's Manor Presbyterian Church, and in the locality where they reside they have a large circle of friends and acquaintances.Page updated: 8 January 2021