34 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



custom house broker of Philadelphia, 

 where he remained for eight years. He 

 then entered into the business himself 

 with offices in Philadelphia, New York 

 and Chicago, and was also import freight 

 agent. He continued to conduct the busi- 

 ness of a custom house broker until his 

 death. In 1893, feeling the necessity of 

 a technical knowledge of the law in the 

 transaction of his business, he entered 

 himself as a student at law in the office 

 of William S. Stanger, Esq., in Phila- 

 delphia, and was admitted to the Phila- 

 delphia bar in 1897, and was admitted 

 to practice in the United States courts 

 in January, 1899, but died on March 7, 

 1899. 



Frederic B. Vandegrift made a close 

 study of the tariflf on imports and be- 

 came an expert on that subject. Among 

 the papers prepared and published by 

 him on the subject was one on the Mc- 

 Kinley Tariff, and another on the Ding- 

 ley Tariff. He received an order for 1,500 

 copies of his work on the Dingley Tariff 

 from the United States government, a 

 copy of which was to be sent to every 

 United States consul throughout the 

 •world. He received the prize offered 

 by the United States government for 

 the most perfect paper on the tariff. Mr. 

 Vandegrift became a distinguished mem- 

 ber of the Masonic fraternity. He was 

 made a Mason on March 8, 1884, by his 

 father, Past Master Charles S. Vande- 

 grift, and became master of Bristol 

 Lodge, No. 25, in 1888; joined Harmony 

 Chapter, R. A. M.. in 1889, and was 

 elected king in 1899, which office he 

 held at the time of his death. He joined 

 St, Johns Commandery, K. T., in 1894, 

 and held the office of captain general 

 at the time of his death. He joined the 

 Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, 

 January 18, 1895. and on June 21st re- 

 ceived his thirty second degree, S. P. R. 

 S. He was also a member of Lulu Tem- 

 ple^ A. A. O. N. M. S., and was repre- 

 sentative of University Lodge in the 

 Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania at the 

 time of his death. On November 16. 

 1887, he married Harriet Elizabeth Har- 

 vey, of Philadelphia. This marriage was 

 blessed with four daughters: Gertrude, 

 Evelina, Lorame and Genevieve, all of 

 whom are being educated at the Friends' 

 Schools of Philadelphia. 



JOHN GTBBS VANDEGRIFT, eldest 

 son of Alfred and Catharine (Gibbs) 

 Vandegrift, and brother to Hon. Charles 

 S. Vandegrift. the subject of the pre- 

 ceding sketch, was born in Bensalem 

 township, Bucks county, September 2, 

 1834. He was educated at the public 

 schools, and later received an academic 

 education. He was reared on the farm, 

 ^nd for several j'cars followed the vo- 



cation of a farmer. In /§73 he pur- 

 chased the store at Eddington and fol- 

 lowed the mercantile business there for 

 the rest of his life. He was a 'justice 

 of the peace for twenty years, and filled 

 many positions of trust. He took a 

 deep interest in educational matters, and 

 was for many years a member of the 

 school board, acting as its secretary. He 

 was a vestryman of the Episcopal church. 

 In politics was a Democrat, but never 

 sought or held other than local office. 

 He was a member of Bristol Lodge, No. 

 25, A. Y. F. and A. M.; of Harmony 

 Chapter, R. A. M.; and St. Johns Com.- 

 mandery, K. T. Mr. Vandegrift married 

 March 27, 1861, Mary Jane Creighton, 

 daughter of Thomas and Rebecca Ash- 

 ton Creighton. She was born May 10, 

 1832, at Holmesburg, Philadelphia, and 

 died May 4, 1895. John G. Vandegrift 

 died April 11, 1901. Two children were 

 born to Mr. and Mrs. Vandegrift, Kath- 

 erine and Lemuel. 



Lemuel Vandegrift was born August 

 13. 1864. He was reared on a farm and 

 attended public school. At the age of 

 seventeen years he entered his father's 

 store to assist him in the business, and 

 at his death succeeded him in its con- 

 duct. He was also elected a justice of 

 the peace to succeed his father. He is 

 a vestryman of the Episcopal church. In 

 politics he is a Democrat. He is a mem- 

 iaer of Bristol Lodge, No. 25, A. Y. F. and 

 A. M., Philadelphia Chapter, R. A. M., 

 and St. Johns Commanderj^ K. T. Mr. 

 Vandegrift was married, April 6, 1893, 

 to Mary Ella Carey, daughter of Seneca 

 and Mary Ella (Moore) Carey. They 

 are the parents of two children: Lem- 

 uel Creighton, born July 26, 1895, and 

 Marian Katharine, born July 8, 1897. 

 Their eldest child, John G.. Jr., died in 

 infancy. These children are being edu- 

 cated in the public school of Bensalem. 



MOSES VANDEGRIFT. In the pre- 

 ceding sketch of the descendants of Ja- 

 cob Lender tsen Van der Grifte, who 

 came from Holland in 1644 to New Am- 

 sterdam, where he married in 1648, Re- 

 becca Fredericks Lubbertsen. is given an 

 account of the baptism and marriage of 

 Johannes Van De Grift, youngest son of 

 Jacob and Rebecca, and of the birth and 

 marriage of his children. From two of 

 the sons of Johannes and Nealkc (Volk- 

 ers) Vandegrift is descended the subject 

 of this sketch. Folkhart, the eldest, and 

 Jacob the second son. 



Folkhart (or Fulkerd) Van de Grift, 

 eldest son of Johannes, was born in the 

 province of New York in 1695. and was 

 therefore but an infant when brought 

 into Bucks county by his parents in 1697. 

 He became a large landholder in Ben- 

 salem, a man of importance in the Dutch 



