HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



133 



and assistant to his chief, and during a 

 large portion of this same period also 

 serving as deputy register of wills, and 

 for some time as deputy recorder of 

 deeds and deputy sheriff. In March, 

 1900, he went to Jacksonville, Florida, to 

 fill a position in the mercantile house of 

 Doty-Stowe Company, but returned to 

 Doylestown May ist of the same year to 

 accept the position of business man- 

 ager of the "Republican," a daily and 

 weekly newspaper. He was so engaged 

 until August, 1901, when he resigned to 

 take charge of the work of arranging, 

 recopying and filing the papers and rec- 

 ords of the orphans' court office under 

 the direction of the court, a task which 

 employed him constantly for nearly two 

 years.. Since the completion of this 

 labor his entire time has been devoted 

 to historical and genealogical work, and 

 much of the contents of the genealogical 

 department of these volumes (History 

 of Bucks County) is from his pen. 



Proud of the achievements of the sons 

 of Bucks county, abroad as well as at 

 home, Mr. Ely has made a close study of 

 the part the county has taken in the rise 

 and development of the province, state 

 and nation, and is recognized as an 

 authority in matters relating to its local 

 liistory, and particularly the genealogy of 

 its early families. He was directed into this 

 channel of thought and investigation during 

 his incumbency of the office of clerk of the 

 orphans, court, and while rendering 

 efficient service in that capacity, found 

 congenial occupation in his contact with 

 the ancient records of the county not 

 alone in his official investigations, but in 

 the fund of information opened up to 

 him with reference to the old families 

 of the county. He became an active 

 member of the Bucks County Histori- 

 cal Societ}', was its first regularly con- 

 stituted libt-arian, and has occupied that 

 position to the present time. He has 

 contributed a number of papers to the 

 archives of the Society, these including 

 •one of particular merit, on "The Scotch- 

 Irish Families of Bucks County." 



Mr. Ely is deeply interested in gen- 

 eral educational affairs, and gave cap- 

 able service as one of the trustees and 

 <lirectors of the Hughesian Free School, 

 in Buckingham, until his removal from 

 the township rendered him ineligible for 

 the office. He is a member of the fra- 

 ternity of Odd Fellows, affiliated with 

 Aquetong Lodge, No. 193, in which he 

 is a past grand, and Doylestown En- 

 campment. No. 35, in which he is a past 

 chief patriarch; he has represented both 

 in the grand bodies of the state for a 

 number of years, and for some time 

 filled the position of district deputy. He 

 is also a past select commander of the 

 Ancient Order, Knights of the Mystic 

 Chain, of Pennsylvania, affiliated with 

 Buckingham Castle. No. 208. which he 

 represented in the select castle for sev- 



eral years, also serving for three years 

 as trustee of the state body. 



Through his marriage, Mr. Ely is re- 

 lated to a family as old in America as 

 his own. March 29, 1882, he married 

 Hannah S. Michener, a daughter of Hugh 

 and Sarah (Betts) Michener. She is de- 

 scended on the paternal side from John 

 and Sarah Michener, who came from 

 England about 1690 and settled in Phil- 

 adelphia, later removing to Moreland 

 township, Montgomery county, whence 

 William Michener removed in 1722 to 

 Plumstead, Bucks county, where Mrs. 

 Ely's ancestors were prominent farm- 

 ers for several generations. On the ma- 

 ternal side she is descended from Col- 

 onel Richard Betts, who came from 

 England to Ipswich, Massachusetts, 

 about 1648, and soon afterward to Long 

 Island, where he filled many high and 

 honorable positions under the colonial 

 government — member of the provincial 

 assembly, commissioner of highways, 

 sheriff, officer of volunteers, etc., and 

 died _November 18, 1673, at the remark- 

 able age of one hundred years. Among 

 the maternal ancestors of Mrs. Ely 

 were also the Stevenson, Whitehead, 

 Powell. Whitson. De la Plaine, Cresson, 

 Cock, Halleck,. Este. Field and other 

 prominent families of Long Island and 

 New Jersey and the Blackfan, Simpson, 

 Warner, Wiggins. Croasdale. Chapman 

 and Hayhurst families of Bucks county. 

 Many of her line'al ancestors have held 

 high official positions in the early days 

 of the colonies, as have those of her 

 husband. 



The children of Warren S. and Han- 

 nah S. (Michener) Ely are as follows: 

 M. Florence, born July 19. 1884; Laura 

 W., born February 2t, 1887, died Feb- 

 ruary 25. 1903; and Frederic Warren, 

 bor.i February 16. 1889, now a student 

 at Swarthmore College. 



HON. IRVING PRICE WANGER, 

 the present representative m congress 

 from the Eighth Congressional District, 

 comprising the counties of Bucks and 

 Montgomery, while not a native or a' 

 resident of Bucks, nevertheless holds a 

 conspicuous place in the interest and 

 regard of the people of the county he 

 has so ably and conscientiously repre- 

 sented in the law making body of the 

 nation for the past twelve years, and 

 some account of his career and ante- 

 cedents will be of interest to the readers 

 of this historical work. 



He was born in North Coventry town- 

 ship, Chester county, Pennsylvania, 

 March 5, 1852. and is the eldest son of 

 George and Rebecca (Price) Wanger, 

 and a descendant of early settlers in 

 Montgomery county, of the religious 

 sects known as the Brethren (Dunkard"s) 

 and Mennonites. His paternal ances- 

 tor, Henry Wanger (or Wenger, as the 



