ANCESTRY OF BENJAMIN HOUGH- OF WARRINGTON

JOSEPH HOUGH, youngest son of Richard and Margery (CLOWES) HOUGH, a sketch of whose life and distinguished services is given in the preceding pages, was born in Lower Makefield, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, September 1693, and died in Warwick township, now Doylestown, May 10, 1773. By the will of his father he inherited the Warwick plantation, originally taken up by his grandfather, John CLOWS, and purchased by his father in 1702. It comprised 841 acres as shown by a survey when divided between his two sons Joseph and John by deeds dated May 2, 1761, and lay on both sides of the Neshaminy, on the lower line of the present township of Doylestown, extending from the Bristol road to Houghville, or "The Turk." It was divided almost equally between the two sons in 1761, the Neshaminy being the dividing line for about one-third of the distance. John getting the end next Houghville, and Joseph the western end. Joseph Hough, Sr., married "out of meeting/" his wife being Elizabeth WEST, daughter of Nathaniel and Elizabeth (DUNGAN) WEST, and granddaughter of the Rev. Thomas DUNGAN, who came from Rhode Island to Bucks county in 1683, and of Nathaniel WEST, of Rhode Island. Nathaniel WEST, Jr., was living at the time of the marriage of his daughter, on the Rodman tract, adjoining the HOUGH farm, which would imply that Joseph HOUGH had taken up his residence in Warwick prior to his marriage. A Joseph HOUGH was dealt with at Falls Meeting for marrying out of unity May 9, 1726, but whether Joseph of Warwick, or Joseph HOUGH, son of John and Hannah, who was about the same age, cannot be ascertained from the records. He evidently retained a nominal membership, as his son Joseph was considered a member at Buckingham at the time of his marriage in 1756. The children of Joseph and Elizabeth (WEST) HOUGH, were as follows:

1. Sarah, married James RADCLIFFE, son of Edward and Phebe (BAKER) RADCLIFFE, and grandson of James RADCLIFFE, the preacher, and of Henry BAKER, whose distinguished services have been previously referred to.

2. Martha, born 1728, died 1785, married William EVANS, son of Lewis EVANS, a trooper in the battle of Boyne. For their children, see "FOX, ELLICOTT & EVANS Families," Chas. W. EVANS, Buffalo, N.Y., 1882. Four married ELLICOTs.

3. Mary, married Samuel GOURLEY, of Wrightstown, Bucks county.

4. Rebecca, married (first) a GEORGE, and (second) Samuel WILLIAMS, of Gwynned.

5. Joseph, born 1730, died January 6, 1818.

6. John HOUGH, second son of Jeseph [sic] and Elizabeth (WEST) HOUGH, lived on the 414 acre tract conveyed to him by his father in 1761, as before recited, in Warwick township. Was probably not a member of the Society of Friends, though he adhered to their principles. His name appears on the roll of "Non-Associators" in 1775. He married, October 31, 1767, at St. Michael's and Zion Church, Philadelphia,

Ruth WILLIAMS, and had issue five children, viz: Joseph, who married Eleanor MILLER, who after his death married John MEREDITH; Thomas married (first) Ann MATHEWS, and (second) Lydia (MATHEWS) DRAKE, her sister; John, married Rebecca THOMPSON; Mary married Robert WALKER of Warrington; and Charlotte, died January 14, 1815, married John MEREDITH, who after her death married her brother's widow Eleanor (MILLER) HOUGH. John Thompson HOUGH, the wealthy inventor and manufacturer of safes, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, is a descendant of John and Rebecca (THOMPSON) HOUGH.

7. Margery HOUGH, married Hugh SHAW.

8. Elizabeth HOUGH, married Robert TOMPKINS.

9. Hanna HOUGH, died April 18, 1819, married Simon MEREDITH, and uncle to John, who married who married Charlotte, daughter of John HOUGH. A grandson of Simon and Hanna married Rebecca, daughter of Joseph HOUGH; see below.

8. Joseph HOUGH, Jr., eldest son of Joseph and Elizabeth (WEST) HOUGH, born 1730, lived on the 420 acres conveyed to him by his father in Warwick. He was a member of the Society of Friends and was disowned for marrying out of meeting in 1756, but continued to adhereto their principles and was a "Non-Associator" in 1775. He married, in November, 1756, Mary TOMPKINS, daughter of Robert TOMPKINS, Esq., of Warrington. She died August 8, 1811, at the age of seventy-five years. They had issue: 1. Joseph, died 1796, married Rebecca RADCLIFFE, daughter of John and Rebecca (WEST) RADCLIFFE, niece of his aunt Sarah's husband, and a descendant of Nathaniel WEST, as was her husband. 2. John who died young. 3. Richard, who married Pamela WALTON. 4. Elizabeth, who married Henry DITTERLINE. 5. John, who married Mary MEREDITH. 6. Robert, who married (first) Francis MARTIN, of Maryland, and (second) Rachel HOPKINS, of the Johns HOPKINS family of Maryland, lived and died in Baltimore, and has left many distinguished descendants there. 7. Septimus HOUGH married Edith WILSON, daughter of Robert and Mary (LUNDY) WILSON, of New Jersey. See LUNDY Family. 8. Benjamin HOUGH, see forward. 9. Jacob, died young. 10. Lydia, who married Elias ANDERSON. 11. Charlotte, died unmarried. 12 and 13. Isaac and Jacob died young, and 14. Mary, married (1808) Dennis CONRAD, a descendant of Thomas KUNDERS, one of the founders of Germantown.

John HOUGH, son of Joseph and Mary (TOMPKINS) HOUGH, was a prominent man in the community. He inherited a part of his father's plantation near Houghville, generally known as "The Turk," and when the county seat was about to be removed from Newtown laid out streets there and made a plan of a town, and offered the site for the court house and public buildings. He was a large land owner and owned the Turk Mills at Houghville, and extensive warehouses in Philadelphia. He donated the land on which the Doylestown Academy was built, and was one of the commissioners of the lottery authorized by the legislature to raise $3,000 to complete the Academy. He married Mary MEREDITH, daughter of Thomas and Rachel (MATHEW) MEREDITH, and niece of Simon MEREDITH, who married Hannah HOUGH, and had issue: John, who married Eliza STUCKERT, and Harriet Ann PIERCE, and Mary, who never married.

8. Benjamin HOUGH, son of Joseph and Mary (TOMPKINS) HOUGH, was born

January 25, 1770, and died May 16, 1848. He purchased from his father in 1797 and 1806, and later of his brother, Septimus HOUGH, portions of the old ancestral homestead, and at his death owned the greater part of the 400 acre tract, and lived thereon all his life. He was a prominent man in the community and filled many positions of public trust. He was a director of the poor in 1818, and served as a director of Doylestown Bank in 1832. He married, August 24, 1791, Hanna SIMPSON, born July 26, 1770, died April 3, 1848, daughter of John and Hanna (ROBERTS) SIMPSON, of Horsham, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, and a sister to John SIMPSON, the grandfather of General Ulysses Simpson GRANT.* John SIMPSON, her father, was born in 1738, and died August 16, 1804. His wife, Hannah, was a daughter of Lewis ROBERTS, of Abington, and a sister to Colonel William ROBERTS, of New Britain, colonel of militia during the Revolution and a sheriff of Bucks county. Hanna (ROBERTS) SIMPSON died at the residence of her son-in-law, Benjamin HOUGH, in Doylestown township, January 22, 1821, aged seventy-nine. The children of Benjamin and Hannah (SIMPSON) HOUGH were as follows: 1. John SIMPSON, born 1792, married 1818; Elivia LUNN. 2. Joseph, born 1798, married Jane COWELL, and lived for many years in Tinicum; was brigadier general of Pennsylvania Militia. 3. Anne, born 1794, married George STUCKERT. 4. Benjamin, see forward. 5. Silas, born 1804 married Sophia F. MOSER, and their son, John S. HOUGH, was a candidate for governor of Colorado on its admission in 1876. 7. Hanna, born 1807, married, November 16, 1826, Daniel Y. HARMAN, member of Pennsylvania legislature in 1836, etc. 8. William SIMPSON, born 1809, married Elizabeth NEELY. 9. Samuel MOORE, born 1812, married Elizabeth N. HARMAN, sister of Daniel Y., and (second) his wife's niece, Araminta BEANS, daughter of Isaac and Elizabeth (HARMAN) BEANS. He was adjutant of 33d Pennsylvania Regiment, of which his brother, Joseph, was colonel. 10. Mary, born 1814, married John BARNSLEY, of Newtown. See BARNSLEY family in this work.

Benjamin HOUGH, Jr., son of Benjamin and Hanna (SIMPSON) HOUGH, was born on the old homestead in Warkwick, now Doylestown township, January 25, 1801. He was a merchant and farmer, and at one time owned and conducted the store at Buckingham. He later purchased the BARCLAY farm, later the RADCLIFFE farm at Warrington, which then included the site of the present store at Warrington, across the turnpike from the farm, a small triangular piece of land, whereon he erected a store building and conducted the mercantile business there for many years. He also purchased the farm now occupied by his grandson, Benjamin HOUGH, where he died in 1853. He was married by the Reverend John C. MURPHY, February 5, 1824, to Maria WENTZ, of New Britain, and they were the parents of ten children, viz: John, was removed to Valva, Illinois; Ellen, who married John S. BRYAN; Silas, see forward; J. Finlay, who was a miller, lived first in Bedminster, later in Buckingham, died at Atlantic City, was the father of Dr. HOUGH of Ambler; Mary Jane, who married Edward BUCKMAN, of Newtown, she died September 27, 1905; Anna, for many years a school teacher, died at Newtown in September 1900; Simpson and Samuel H., twins, the former removed to Illinois and the latter for many years a miller in Warwick, Warminster and Hatboro, died in Hatboro in 1903; Benjamin, a soldier in the civil war, died at Leadville, Colorado, March 13, 1890; Henry, for many years a teacher in Doylestown and elsewhere, was appointed during President Grant's term to a position in the Pension office at Washington, D.C., and died there in 1901; and George, still living in Valva, Illinois.

Silas HOUGH was born and reared on the Warrington homestead, and on his marriage removed to the farm on which his son Benjamin now resides. He was a successful and prominent farmer, and filled many positions of public trust, frequently acting as guardian of minors and as executor and administrator in the settlement of estates. In politics he was a Republican; and took an active interest in the questions of the day, but never sought or held public office. He married, March 3, 1855, Hannah HORNER, daughter of James and Ann (LONG) HORMER, of Warminster, Bucks county, both of Scotch-Irish ancestry. Silas and Hanna (HORNER) HOUGH, were the parents of four children, of whom three died in childhood, leaving Benjamin HOUGH as only surviving heir. Hanna HOUGH died in 1890, and Silas in 1892.

Benjamin HOUGH, only son of Silas and Hanna (HORNER) HOUGH, was born on the farm on which he still resides, in Warrington township, March 12, 1854, and it has been his place of residence almost continuously to the present, covering over half a century. He acquired a common school education, supplemented by a course at the Doylestown English and Classical Seminary. He was reared to the life of a farmer, and on his marriage he brought his bride to the old farm which he conducted until 1883, when he removed to Chester county and spent two years there on an experimental farm. After the death of his father he returned to the homestead, having in the meantime gained new knowledge of modern farming methods which he adapted to the use of the home place. He made substantial improvements and greatly improved the appearance of his beautiful home on the Doylestown and Willow Grove Turnpike and Trolley line, overlooking the beautiful valley of the Neshaminy. Mr. HOUGH is a Republican in politics and takes a keen interest in public affairs, but has never been an aspirant for office. He has filled the position of school director and other township offices. He married, September 28, 1876, Sara PATTERSON, daughter of Jess R. and Mary (MYERS) PATTERSON, both natives of Bucks county, and granddaughter of William and Sara (RUBINKAM) PATTERSON, the former a native of Pittsburg, and the latter of Bucks county. William PATTERSON was of Scotch-Irish Presbyterian stock, and inherited the sterling as well as the genial qualities of his ancestors. He was a farmer in Bucks county, and reared a family of seven children, viz: Jesse, the father of Mrs. HOUGH; Mrs. Susan BOLINGER, Margaret, William, of Doylestown; Sheridan T., a farmer near Peoria, Illinois; Joseph, who died in the army during the civil war; and Thomas, who died in Illinois. Jesse PATTERSON, father of Mrs. HOUGH, was reared on his father's farm and early in life learned the miller's trade which he followed for many years. He was at one time the owner of the mills at Edisob, Bucks county, which he operated when the mill was destroyed by fire. He rebuilt and operated the mill during the civil war, and later turned his attention to farming. In 1880 he removed to Chester county, where he bought a farm and carried on agricultural pursuits until his death in 1885, at the age of fifty-eight years. His wife, Mary MYERS, who was a daughter of Tobias MYERS, of German Descent, died in 1901. Her mother, a Miss PUFF, was of English descent, and her brothers were Philip PUFF, a merchant of Philadelphia, and Henry PUFF, a carpenter. Jesse and Mary MYERS PATTERSON were the parents of three children, of whom the youngest died in infancy, Sarah, Mrs. HOUGH, was the eldest. Her brother William is a prominent farmer in Chester county. Mrs. HOUGH is a member of the Baptist Church of Doylestown.

Benjamin and Sarah (PATTERSON) HOUGH are the parents of two children, Frederick F., born September 27, 1879, at present a school teacher in Bucks county, who was born on the old homestead in Warrington, and William P., who was born in Chester county, September 7, 1885.

WILLIAM H. HOUGH. More than a century has passed since the HOUGH family was established in Bucks county, for here occurred the birth of Charles HOUGH, the grandfather of William H. HOUGH, his natal year being 1801. He followed farming throughout his entire life and gave his political support to the Republican party. He held the office of supervisor for a number of years and was always faithful in matters of citizenship. The moral development of the community was also of deep interest to him, and his life was in harmony with his professions as a member of the Society of Friends. He married Miss Susan NEAL, and they became the parents of ten children, six of whom have passed away. The living are: Rachel, the wife of James LONSDALE; Jasper, a carpenter of Langhorne, Pennsylvania; Henry; and Martha, the wife of James SUBERS.

Henry HOUGH, son of Charles HOUGH, was born in Edgewood, Pennsylvania, in 1838, and when a lad of twelve years went with his parents to the farm upon which his son William now resides. There he assisted in the development and cultivation of the fields and continued to engage in agricultural pursuits until 1861, when he established a hardware business in Yardley, continuing it for thirty-three years. In 1894 he sold this and removed to Solebury, where he has since given his attention to farming. Throughout his mercantile career he enjoyed an unassailable reputation, and his business life has ever been characterized by straightforward dealing and persistency of purpose. His efforts, too, have been directed along lines that have proved of value to his community, and at the same time have promoted individual success. He was one of the organizers of the Yardley Building and Loan Association, and for twenty-five years served as its treasurer. He was also one of the organizers of the Yardley National Bank. He held the office of school director for a number of years, the cause of education finding in him a warm friend; and his political allegiance has ever been given to the Republican party. He married Miss Elizabeth PARENT, of New Jersey, and they became the parents of two children: Martha, the deceased; and William H.

William H. HOUGH was born November 17, 1856, and acquired his education in the common schools of Yardley. When not occupied with his text books he assisted his father in the store, and was thus identified with mercantile interests for twenty-four years. In 1880 he opened a grocery store in Yardley, which he conducted with fair success for ten years. Since that time he has been engaged in the butchering business in connection with farming, and his keen discernment and enterprise have brought to him very creditable and gratifying success. Socially he is connected with the Improved Order of Red Men, No. 170, of Trenton, New Jersey in which he has passed all of the chairs, a fact which indicates his popularity with his brethren of the fraternity. William H. HOUGH was married to Miss Anna FORD, a daughter of George and Anna FORD, of West Chester, Pennsylvania. They became the parents of seven children, of whom one died in infancy. The others are: Bertha J., wife of William J. WILSON; Edward T., Lillian I., Mabel C., Elsie and Bess, all at home.

Text was taken from pages 12-15 of:

Davis, William W. H., A.M., History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania [New York-Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1905]

Volume III

Transcribed May 2000 by Kim Egan of Endwell, NY as part of the Bucks Co., Pa., Early Family Project, www.rootsweb.com/~pabucks/bucksindex.html