| Kindly submitted
by Joan Lollis H. AUGUSTUS PICKERING, for many years a
prominent merchant and business man of Carversville, Bucks
county, was born at Mechanicsville, Buckingham township, Bucks
county, December 22, 1842, and is a son of the late Jonathan C.
and Elizabeth (ANDERSON) PICKERING. His paternal ancestor, Isaac
Pickering, was the second child of Samuel and Mary (SCARBOROUGH)
PICKERING, and was born on the old homestead in Solebury,
between the upper and lower York roads, two miles east of
Lahaska, 12 mo. 23, 1716. He was a blacksmith by trade, and
followed that occupation during nearly his whole life in
connection with farming. He purchased in 1742, a farm adjoining
the homestead, which had been the property of his maternal
grandfather, John SCARBOROUGH, where he lived and died. He was a
prominent member of Buckingham Friends’ Meeting, holding the
position of overseer and elder for many years. He was also one
of the trustees of the “Stone School House” at Centre Hill. He
died in December, 1798, at the age of eighty-two years. He was
married in 1738 to Sarah LUPTON, and (secondly) late in life to
Sidney WRIGHT, a widow, and the mother of Solomon WRIGHT, who
had married his daughter Rachel. Isaac and Sarah (LUPTON)
PICKERING were the parents of nine children, viz: 1. Joseph,
born 5 mo.9, 1739; married 8 mo. 18, 1762, Jane PAXSON, see
forward. 2. Sarah, born 2 mo. 27, 1741; married 12 mo. 14, 1763,
Joseph BUTLER. 3. Mary, born 5 mo. 13, 1743; died unmarried. 4.
Mercy, born 8 mo. 27, 1745; married 5 mo. 11, 1774. Joseph
ROBERTS. 5 and 6. Isaac and Samuel, born 1 mo. 27, 1747, died
young. 7. Jonathan, born 2 mo. 15, 1750; married in 1773 Mary
Williams, of Shrewsbury, New Jersey. 8 Rachel, born 2 mo. 17,
1752; married 6 mo. 13, 1787, Solomon WRIGHT, the schoolmaster.
9. Esther, born 6 mo. 6, 1755, died young.
Joseph PICKERING, the eldest of the above children of Isaac and
Sarah, lived and died in Solebury. He died in December, 1793,
his wife Jane surviving him. They were the parents of five
children, four daughters, Ann, Jane, Rachel and Sarah-the first
named three of whom married CARVERS, and the latter married
Israel MICHENER; and one son, Isaac. Isaac PICKERING, Sr.,
conveyed to his son Joseph by deed of gift a farm of 125 acres
on Long Lane, in Buckingham, which the latter devised to his
only son Isaac.
Isaac PICKERING, Jr., married 10 mo. 11, 1786, Elizabeth CAREY,
daughter of Thomas and Mary TOWNSEND CAREY, of Plumstead, and
took up his residence upon the Buckingham farm. He later
purchased two acres in the village of Carversville, and erected
a hotel and store which he conducted in connection with his son
Isaac, until his death in 1815. He had eight sons, viz: Isaac,
Thomas, John, Joseph, James, Stephen, Mahlon and Carey.
Joseph PICKERING, son of Isaac and Elizabeth (CAREY) PICKERING,
was born in Buckingham in 1792. He learned the blacksmith trade
and followed it for a number of years in Plumstead, later
removing to Mechanicsville, Buckingham township, where he
followed blacksmithing for a number of years. He married Rebecca
KEIPLE.
Jonathan C. Pickering, the father of the subject of this sketch,
was a son of Joseph and Rebecca (KEIPE) PICKERING, and was born
in Plumstead township, Bucks county, in 1817. He was but a boy
when his parents removed to Mechanicsville, where Jonathan was
reared. On arriving at manhood he married Elizabeth Anderson,
and followed farming in Buckingham until 1867, when he removed
with his wife and six younger children to Henderson county,
Illinois, where he followed farming until his death in 1892, at
the age of seventy-five years. His wife Elizabeth survived him
two years. They were the parents of eight children, seven of
whom survive, viz: Mary Anna, wife of Wilson FLACK, of Solebury;
H. Augustus; Joseph, residing in Nebraska; Rebecca, widow of
James Crawford, of Nebraska; Lester, living in California;
Elizabeth, wife of W. F. Jones, of Illinois; and Ezra M. of
Illinois.
H. Agustus (sic) PICKERING was born and reared in Buckingham and
resided with his parents to the age of fourteen years, when he
accepted a position in the store of Samuel a. FIRMAN, at
Carversville. After six years of service as clerk and one year
spent as a soldier in the army during the war of the rebellion,
he became in 1864 a partner with his employer under the firm
name of FIRMAN & PICKERING, which continued for six years, when
Watson F. PAXSON became a member of the firm, and the name was
changed to S. A. FIRMAN & Co. In 1872 Mr. FIRMAN retired from
the firm and removed to Doylestown, and his interest was
purchased by the surviving members of the firm, who continued
the business under the firm name of PAXSON & PICKERING until
1880, when A. W. WALTON purchased an interest in the firm, and
for the next five years the firm name was PICKERING & WALTON. In
1885 Mr. PICKERING sold his interest to Edward H. WORTHINGTON
and engaged in farming for five years, when he purchased Mr.
WORTHINGTON’s interest, and is still senior member of the firm
of PICKERING & Walton, who do an extensive trade in general
merchandise. Mr. PICKERING enlisted on August 8, 1862, in
Company C. One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Regiment Pennsylvania
Volunteers, under Captain Samuel CROASDALE, who later became
colonel of the regiment. Mr. PICKERING served in the regiment
for ten months, participating in the battles of South Mountain,
Antietam, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. He was taken
prisoner at the latter battle on May 3, 1863, and confined in
the notorious Libby Prison for sixteen days, when he was
exchanged and returned home and resumed his position in the
store, becoming a member of the firm the following year. In
politics Mr. PICKERING is a Republican, but has never sought nor
held other than local offices. He is a member of the Grand Army
of the Republic. He was married in 1879 to Hannah H. SHAW,
daughter of Eleazer C. and Grace R. (GREEN) SHAW of Plumstead,
and they are the parents of one child, Arthur C., who is a clerk
in his father’s store.
Test taken from page 530 to 531 of:
Davis, William W. H., A.M., History of Bucks County,
Pennsylvania [New York-Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company,
1905] Volume III
Transcribed August 2005 by Joan Lollis as part of the Bucks Co.,
Pa., Early Family Project, www.rootsweb.com/~pabucks/bucksindex.html
Published August 2005 on the Bucks County, Pa., USGenWeb pages
at www.rootsweb.com/~pabucks/
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Page was last edited:
11/15/2008