HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY 



67 



far ahead of his ticket in many of the 

 precincts, was defeated by his old op- 

 ponent, William Godshalk. In local so- 

 cieties and institutions Dr. James took 

 a deep interest. He was a member of 

 Doylestown Lodge, No. 245, F. & A. M., 

 and its treasurer for many years, hold- 

 ing that position at the time of his 

 death. He was president of the Doyles- 

 town borough council for several terms. 

 He was treasurer of the Doylestown Ag- 

 ricultural and Mechanics' Institute from 

 its organization in 1866 to its dissolu- 

 tion in 1892. He was for twenty years 

 a director of the Doylestown National 

 Bank, and was a member of the board 

 of directors of the Doylestown and Wil- 

 low Grove Turnpike Company, and treas- 

 urer of the company for many years. 



Dr. Jai-'.es died at his residence in 

 Doylestown on the evening of Novem- 

 ber 19, 1894. He had been in failing 

 Tiealth for some time, being confined to 

 the house for upwards of a month. The 

 cause of his death was valvular disease 

 of the heart. 



Dr. James was married in 1859, to Sa- 

 rah A. Gordon, of Montgomery county, 

 who survives him. Their only son, Oli- 

 ver B., died when a young man. several 

 years ago. Two daughters survive: 

 Martha A., wife of Rev. George H. 

 Lorah, D. D., of Philadelphia; and Sarah 

 M., residing in Doylestown. 



THOMAS A. JAMES, of Doyles- 

 town, son of Louis H. James, is de- 

 scended from Thomas James, eldest son 

 of John and Elizabeth, who accompanied 

 his father from Wales in 1710 and joined 

 him m the purchase of the one thousand 

 acres of land in New Britain in 1720. 

 He married Jane Davis, May 15, 1722, 

 and lived all his life on the old farm 

 plantation, and died there in 1772, leav- 

 ing Thomas; Elizabeth, who married 

 Benjamin Butler, and second, Moses 

 Aaron; James, John and Samuel. 



Samuel James, born 1730, succeeded 

 to one hundred and fifty acres of the 

 homestead, and married Anna Kach- 

 line, died in 1804, leaving three children: 

 Samuel, Levi and Elizabeth, who mar- 

 ried Isaac Oakford. 



Levi married Rebecca Polk, of an old 

 Scotch-Irish family of Warwick, whose 

 pioneer ancestor, Samuel Polk, came 

 from Ireland, in 1725, and after her death 

 married Mary Good. His children by 

 the first wife were: Robert, Samuel, 

 Elizabeth. Lydia Ann, and Isabella. He 

 was a prominent man in the community. 

 He died in 1857. 



Robert, the son, married Ann Bayard, 

 a relative of the distinguished Delaware 

 family of that name. He was almost a 

 giant in stature, modest, unassuming, 

 intelligent, a man of unquestioned integ- 

 rity. He participated actively in the af- 



fairs of the county, both politically and 

 socially. He was elected to the legisla- 

 ture at the same election in which Fran- 

 cis R. Shunk was made governor, and 

 while at Harrisburg a warm friendship 

 was cemented between the two men. He 

 died in his eighty-eighth year, and was 

 survived by his wife and five children: 

 Louis H., Nancy C., Frank, Emma C. 

 and Louise. 



Louis H. married Mary E. Laughlin, 

 of Philadelphia, studied law in the of- 

 fice of George Lear, and as a lawyer 

 had a large clientage throughout the 

 county. Like his father, he took a very 

 active part in politics, and was one of 

 the leaders of his parity. He died in the 

 latter part of 1900, and was survived by 

 his wife and six children: Robert C., 

 Helen, Thomas A., Carrie Y., Margaret 

 C, and Mary E. 



THE PARRY FAMILY OF NEW 

 HOPE, PENNSYLVANIA. ("CORY- 

 ELL'S FERRY" OF THE REVOLU- 

 TION.) 



The Parrys herein mentioned are de- 

 scended from an ancient and honorable 

 family, long resident in Caernarvon- 

 shire, Wales.- THOMAS PARRY, the 

 founder of the family in Pennsylvania, 

 was born in Caernarvonshire, North 

 Wales. A. D., 1680, and came to America 

 towards the close of the seventeentU 

 century, settling in that part of Phila- 

 delphia county — long afterwards set 

 aside as Montgomery county, and still 

 so called. In 1715 he married Jane Mor- 

 ris, by whom he had issue ten children, 

 all born between the years 1716 and 1739 

 inclusive. Eight of these were sons, and 

 two daughters, named Mary and Mar- 

 tha. The eldest son Thomas having been 

 born July 26, 1716. the third child, John, 

 (ancestor of this branch) July 25, 1721, 

 and Martha, the youngest, March 3, 

 1739- 



THOMAS PARRY, THE ELDER, 

 born 1680, was a considerable landholder 

 and is recorded as having been owner of 

 over one thousand acres of land in Mont- 

 gomery county, Pennsylvania, to a part 

 of which his son John, Parry, of Moorland 

 Manor, subsequently succeeded. Of the 

 above thousand acres, Thomas Parry 

 conveyed 200 acres to John Van Bus- 

 kirk, September 2, 1725;. and 300 acres 

 he conveyed to David Maltby, December 

 29, 1726. Thomas Parry was a man of 

 most excellent good sense, and judg- 

 ment, and he and his neighbor and ac- 

 cmaintance. Sir William Keith. of 

 Graeme Park. Governor of Pennsylvania 

 under the Penns. consulted together 

 about their internal local affairs, such as 

 roads, etc., and certainly the roads were 

 bad enough in their day, as Indian trails 

 and bridle paths were frequently the best 



