H 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



minster 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 Doyles- 

 town 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 liv- 

 ing in Valva, Illinois. 



Silas Hough was born and reared on the 

 Warrington homestead, and on his marri- 

 age 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 execu- 

 tor 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 pub- 

 lic office. He married, March 3, 1855, Han- 

 nah Horner, daughter of James and Ann 

 (Long) Horner, of Warminster, Bucks 

 county, both of Scotch-Irish ancestry. Si- 

 las and Hannah (Horner) Hough, were the 

 parents of four children, of whom three 

 died in childhood, leaving Benjamin Hough 

 as only surviving heir. Hannah Hough 

 died in 1890, and Silas in 1892. 



Benjamin Hough, only son of Silas and 

 Hannah (Horner) Hough, was born on the 

 farm on which he still resides, in Warring- 

 ton township, March 12, 1854, and it has 

 been his place of residence almost continu- 

 ously 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 re- 

 turned 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 ap- 

 pearance 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 in- 

 terest in public affairs, but has never been 

 an aspirant for office. He has filled the 

 position of school director and other town- 

 ship offices. He married, September 28, 

 1876, Sarah Patterson, daughter of Jesse 

 R. and Mary (Myers) Patterson, both na- 

 tives of Bucks county, and granddaughter 

 of William and Sarah (Rubinkam) Patter- 

 son, the former a native of Pittsburg, and 

 the latter of Bucks county. William Patter- 

 son 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 Bolin- 

 ger, 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 Illi- 

 nois. 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 agricul- 

 tural pursuits until his death in 1885, at 

 the age of fifty-eight years. His wife, Mary 

 Myers, who was a daughter of Tobias My- 

 ers, of German descent, died in 1901. Her 

 mother, a Miss Puff, was of English de- 

 scent, and her brothers were Philip Puff, a 

 merchant of Philadelphia, and Henry Puff, 

 a carpenter. Jesse and Mary Myers Pat- 

 terson were the parents of three children, 

 of whom the youngest died in infancy, Sa- 

 rah, 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 na- 

 tal year being i8or. He followed farming 

 throughout his entire life and gave his 

 political support to the Republican party. 

 He held the office of supervisor for a num- 

 ber of years and was always faithful in 

 matters of citizenship. The moral develop- 

 ment 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 Sus- 

 an Neal, and they became the parents of ten 

 children, six of whom have passed away. 

 The living are: Rachel, the wife of Tames 

 Lonsdale; Jasper, a carpenter of Lang- 

 horne. 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 j-'ears went 

 with his parents to the farm upon which 

 his son William now resides. There he as- 

 sisted in the development and cultivation of 

 the fields and continued to engage in agri- 

 cultural pursuits until 1861, when he estab- 

 lished a hardwnre business in Yardley. con- 

 tinuing it for thirly-three years. In 1894 'le 

 sold this and removed to Solebury. where 

 he has since given his attention to farming. 

 Throughout his mercantile career he en- 

 joyed an unassailable reputation, and his 

 business life has ever been characterized by 



