146 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



were: Charles Augustus, born May 31, 

 1843. married Susan Derby, and resid- 

 ed (in the homestead until his death. 

 August 12, 1900, without issue; Mary 

 Catharine, born January 9, 1845, married 

 September 8, 1868, Theodore P. Austin, 

 of Hancock county, Maine; Philip H. 

 and John S. Anna (Stover) Fretz died 

 at the residence of her son, Philip Hen- 

 ry Fretz, October 8, 1889. 



Philip Henry Fretz, second son of 

 Philip K. and Anna (Stover) Fretz, 

 was born on the ' old homestead, 

 in Doylestown township, November 

 22. 1846. He was educated at the 

 public schools of Doylestown and at the 

 famous Tennent School, at Hartsville. 

 On arriving at manhood he went to New 

 York city, where he engaged for a short 

 time in the manufacture of silver plate. 

 He sailed from New York for San 

 Francisco, where he engaged in the 

 banking business for a short time, and 

 then returned to the old home in Doyl- 

 estown township. His partner in the 

 banking business was Judge Pratt, of 

 California. The return trip was made 

 overland across the plains by stage 

 coach, having for traveling companion 

 on the trip his uncles' old partner, Com- 

 modore Garrison. In 1871 he erected 

 the buildings and handsome residency 

 now occupied by his brother, John S. 

 Fretz, and married and lived there until 

 1879. when, having erected his present 

 handsome residence one mile south of 

 Doylestown, he moved there and has 

 since made it his home, operating his 

 farm and looking after his other prop- 

 erties. He is the owner of the old Turk 

 mills, one of the oldest mill properties 

 in this section, it having been operated 

 by Hugh Miller as early as 1745. Mr. 

 Fretz is a broad-minded and public- 

 spirited man and is interested in what- 

 ever inures to the benefit of the com- 

 munity in which he lives. He has been 

 an elder of Doylestown Presbyterian 

 church for nearly thirty years. He was 

 largely instrumental in the building of 

 the chapel at Edison, which was placed 

 under the control of the sessions of the 

 Doylestown Presbyterian church, and is 

 used for Sunday school purposes. Mr. 

 Fretz being the superintendent of the 

 Sunday school held there, and which 

 by the way is said to be the oldest Sun- 

 day school ever held in Eastern Penn- 

 sylvania outside of Philadelphia. It was 

 originally held in the old school house 

 at Edison, which was originally built 

 by and for the use of the neighborhood, 

 long before the days of the public school 

 system, and was rented by the directors 

 after the organization of the public 

 schools for some years, the upper story 

 being used for religious and other lo- 

 cal meetings. After the school direct- 

 ors erected another school house, the 

 old one was sold and the proceeds with 

 liberal contributions from the neighbors 



was used to erect the present chapel on 

 land donated by Aaron Fries. In 1881 

 Philip H. Fretz was elected to the of- 

 fice of- justice of the peace and filled 

 the same for one term of five years. He 

 was one of the original directors and 

 managers of the Bucks Coimty Trust 

 Company at its organization in 1888, and 

 still fills that position. 



Philip H. Fretz married, September 

 19, 1871, Margaret Wilhelmina John- 

 ston, born in Doylestown township, 

 June I, 1848, daughter of Robert and 

 Wilhelmina (McHenry) Johnston. Her 

 father, Robert Johnston, was born in 

 Doylestown township, December 5, 

 1817. He died January 25, 1905. He was 

 a son of David and Susanna (Riale) 

 Johnston. His father, David Jonnston, 

 was a son of Robert Johnston, an early 

 settler in Huntingdon county, and died 

 in Doylestown township, October 28, 

 1867. He was a soldier in the war of 1812 

 under Captain William Magill. His wife 

 Susanna Riale, was a daughter of John 

 Riale, Esq., of Scotch-Irish descent. She 

 died August 26, 1866, in her ninety-sixth 

 year. Wilhelmina McHenry, mother of 

 Mrs. Fretz, was born in the old Ross 

 Mansion at Doylestown, April 6, 1818, 

 and was a daughter of Captain William 

 McHenry, who was born 9. mo. 22, 1794, 

 and died io mo. 22, 1880. He was a son 

 of William and Mary (Stewart) Mc- 

 Henry, both of whom were of Scotch- 

 Irish descent, the former, born May 6, 

 1744, died November 25, 1808, was a son 

 of the Rev. Francis McHenry, the first 

 settled pastor of Deep Run and Red Hill 

 Presbyterian churches, and one of the 

 ablest divines of his time. He was born 

 on the island of Rathlen, Ireland, Oc- 

 tober 18, 1710, and came to this country 

 when a lad of fourteen and was educated 

 at the famous Tennent Log College at 

 Neshaminy. He was licensed to preach 

 in 1738, and preached for a time at Ne- 

 shaminy Presbyterian church, and Deep 

 Run. In 1748 he took charge of Deep 

 Run and Red Hill churches and settled 

 in Bedminster. where he died January 

 22. 1757. His son Charles was a lieu- 

 tenant in the continental army. Mr. and 

 Mrs. Philip H. Fretz have been the par- 

 ents of six children: Dr. John Edgar 

 Fretz, of Easton, Pennsylvania ; Anna 

 Leola Fretz, residing with her parents, 

 Ralph Johnston, deceased; Philip K".. de- 

 ceased; Marguerite Wilhelmina, now a 

 student, preparing for Bryn Mawr; and 

 Edna McHenry, died February 21, 1897. 

 Dr. John Edgar Fretz was born in 

 Doylestown township, November 29, 

 1872, and was educated at Lafayette 

 College, graduating in the class of 1893. 

 He graduated at medical deparment of 

 Pennsylvania University in 1897. He be- 

 gan the practice of medicine at Easton. 

 He was recently honored by the offer 

 of the position of physician and profes- 

 sor of hygiene, anatomy and physiol- 



