History of Bucks County, Pa Volume 3 by William H



History of Bucks County, Pa Volume 3 by William H. Davis

DAVID VAN HART. Among the descendants of the old settlers of Bucks county must be numbered David Van Hart. The great-grandfather of Mr. Van Hart was a native of Holland , who settled in Falls township prior to the revolution. His son, Jacob Van Hart, was a farmer and shoemaker, and married Mary, daughter of Daniel Richardson, a pioneer, who lived near Dolington. Their family consisted of fifteen children.

Charles Van Hart, son of Jacob and Mary ( Richardson ) Van Hart, mentioned above, was born October 9, 1821 , in Newtown township, and later settled in Upper Makefield township, where he engaged in farming. Politically he is a Democrat. He married Eliza Tomlinson, and they were the parents of seven children, six of whom are living: Jacob, lives in Upper Makefield ; Mary, married Edward Lake , of Philadelphia ; Eliza, wife of Winfield Pool, of Wycombe; David, mentioned at length hereinafter; John, lives in Lower Makefield township; and Catherine, a widow, and resides in Yardleyville. After the death of his wife, Mr. Van Hart married Jane Jackson.

David Van Hart, son of Charles and Eliza (Tomlinson) Van Hart, was born August 15, 1846 , in Bucks county, and was educated in the common schools. At the age of nineteen he began to work for the farmers, and after some years entered the service of a farmer near Taylorsville , by whom he was employed by the year for four years. He then rented the "Edward Merrick farm," which he cultivated for five years, and moved thence to the Harvey farm, where he spent two years. His next removal was to Bronwsburg, where for five years he cultivated the Boileau farm, and then spent one year on the Wagner farm. After living for three years on the Horn farm, he took up his abode in 1889 on the Wynkoop farm, where he has since resided. For nine years he has served on the school board, and for ten years has held the office of tax collector of the township. His political principles are those of the Republican party. He is a member of the Thompson Memorial Presbyterian church, in which for the last twenty-one years he has held the office of trustee. Mr. Van Hart married, in September, 1869, Frances Jackson, of Solebury township, and they have three children: Eugene, a resident of Brooklyn , New York ; Charles, a farmer in Upper Makefield township; and Abner, lives in Norristown , Pennsylvania .

Text taken from page of

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

Transcribed 2003 as part of the Bucks Co., Pa., Early Family Project, ~pabucks/bucksindex.html

Published December 2003 on the Bucks County, Pa., USGenWeb pages at ~pabucks/

VAN HART, Charles 430

VAN HART, Charles 670

VAN HART, David 430

VAN HART, Frank W. 645

VAN HART, Jacob 570

VAN HART, Jacob 645

VAN HART, Michael A. 570

VAN HART, Michael A. 645

CHAPTER XVIII

SOLEBURY

1703

Origin of name unknown. -Buckingham and Solebury one township. -Land

located before 1703. -Early settlers. -Henry Paxson. The Holcombs*.

-The Pellars. -James Pellar Malcolm. -Joseph Pile. -Gilt-edge butter.

-Great Spring tract. -Jacob Holcomb*. -The Blackfans. -Inghams.

-Eastburns. -Jonathan Ingham. -Samuel D. Ingham, resigning from

Jackson's Cabinet. -Andrew Ellicott and his sons. -Richard Townsend.

-John Schofield. -The Elys. - Burleys*. -Rices. -Williams*.

- Hutchinsons. - Neeleys, -General Pike. -The Kenderdines.

-Ruckmans. -John Kugler*. -Roads. -The Sebring grave yard*. -The

villages*. -Lumberville. -Lumberton, formerly Hard Times. -Lumberton*.

-Centre Bridge, originally Reading's ferry. -Carversville. -Milton in 1800.

-Excelsior Normal Institute*. -Post-office established. -Home of Ellicotts.

-Coppernose. -Fine view from top. -The Cuttalossa. -Spring and fountain.

-Kenderdine's verse. -Ruckman's tavern. -Old mine at Neeley's. -Doctor John Wall.

-Doctor Forst. -Friends' meeting school fund. -William. B. Leedom*.

-School fund*. -Charles Smith. Ingham's spring. - Population.

Solebury is washed on its eastern border by the Delaware, and joins the

townships of Plumstead, Buckingham and Upper Makefield. The area is 14,073

acres. The origin of the name is unknown, and we have not been able to

find it in any other part of the world. In 1703 it was written "Soulbury."

The surface is moderately hilly, with a variety of soil, has good building

stone and an abundance of limestone, and is well supplied with small

creeks and numerous springs of good water, the most celebrated of which is

the Aquetong, three miles from New Hope. It abounds in well-cultivated and

productive farms, and its water-power is probably superior to that of any

other township in the county. The great body of the inhabitants are

descendants of English Friends, the first settlers, and in many respects

they retain the leading traits of their ancestors.

We stated, in the previous chapter, that Solebury and Buckingham were

originally one township, but were divided about 1700, the exact time not

being known. The first mention of Solebury that we have met was in 1702,

and it may or may not have been a separate township at that time. These

two townships were settled about the same period, the immigrants reaching

the hills of Solebury through Wrightstown and Buckingham, and by coming up

the Delaware (1).

(1) At the midsummer meeting of the Bucks County Historical Society,

August 8, 1890, an exhaustive paper on the "Early Settlers of Solebury,"

was read by Eastburn Reeder. It embraced 41 tracts, some of them

containing several hundred acres, one as high as 5,000. Among the real

estate holders we find the names of George Pownall, James Logan, Henry

Paxson, John Balderston, William Blackfan, Thomas Ross, Benjamin Canby,

John Simpson, Samuel Eastburn, Randall Blackshaw, Stephen Townsend, James

Pellar and others. The paper was afterward printed in an 8 mo. pamphlet,

making 57 pages with an index and appendix. The latter contains the

marriages that took place at Falls Meeting, Middletown, Buckingham and

elsewhere, where one or both of the parties were resident of Solebury,

from 1686 to 1849. The paper was prepared with great care and gives much

valuable information, obtained from deeds, wills, and the records of

Friends Meetings.

Makefield Township - Was divided from Makefield into Lower and Upper in 1753. Early families were English Friends who worship in the Falls Monthly Meeting house until around 1750 when in 1752 the Makefield Meeting house was built.

VanHART - I just found out that the father of Rachel VANHART Fleming, Nancy VANHART Woodford, and Laura Linton VANHART Everett,(all residents of Jackson from about 1830) is Michael VANHART, and that he died while living with Laura in Jackson, March 8, 1850. I know that he was in Jackson earlier, but with his name misspelled on the census index. I have looked through all the cemetery listings, and don't find him. If anyone has any information, please let me know. Joanne Hofstrand JOANNE.H@ May 30

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