1/6 



HISTORY OP BUCKS COUNTY. 



tants, and a few families of the name of 

 Scarborough still reside there. The 

 name is derived from its location, tlie 

 word Scear, or Scaur, meaning a i,harp 

 rock or crag, and "burg,' or borough, 

 meaning a town or fortress, the combi- 

 nation indicating and literally meaning 

 a town or fort on or near the crags or 

 rocks. Xhe arms of the family consist 

 of a castle by the sea, a beacon tlaming 

 on its turrets, the sun rising in the east, 

 and a manned ship at anchor. 



Several representatives of the family, 

 at that time scattered over different parts 

 of England, emigrated to America dur- 

 ing the period of the early settlement 

 of the colonies, one settling in Boston, 

 Massachusetts, another in Connecticut, 

 and still another on the eastern shore of 

 Virginia. Edward Scarborough was the 

 first surveyor general of Virginia. 

 Charles Scarborough was the physician 

 to King Charles I. 



The earliest known progenitor of the 

 Bucks county family of Scarborough 

 was John Scarbrough, of the parish of 

 St. Sepulchre's, London. He was known 

 there as a blacksmith and coachmaker. 

 He was a member of Peel Monthly 

 Meeting of Friends, whose place of wor- 

 ship was in Peel Court, near 65 St. John 

 street. He is referred to in the minutes 

 of this meeting under date of 10 mo. 26, 

 1677. He signed his name "Scar- 

 brough," as did his descendants until 

 about 1800, although in the body of the 

 papers executed by them the lawyers 

 and conveyancers frequently wrote the 

 name "Scarborough." The Scarborough, 

 Scarboro, Scarbrough, Scardeburg and 

 Scarburg families are probably of one 

 descent. 



On 7 mo. 4, 1682, he purchased of 

 William Penn 250 acres of land to be 

 laid out in Pennsylvania, and embarked 

 for the Deleware to locate his purchase 

 and prepare a home for his family in 

 the new province. He left his wife in 

 England, but took with him his only 

 <r son John, then a youth. The 250 acres 

 were surveyed to him in Middletown 

 township, near the present site of Lang- 

 horne, where he was one of the first set- 

 tlers. After remaining for two years 

 and preparing a rude home in the wil- 

 derness, he embarked for England with 

 the intention of bringing over his wife, 

 leaving his son in the care of a Friend 

 until he was able to take charge of his 

 father's farm. His wife, not being* a 

 Quaker, declined to come to Pennsyl- 

 vania, and, the persecution of Friends 

 having somewhat abated, he decided to 

 remain in England and never return to 

 America. In 1696 he executed and sent 

 to his son John a power of attorney to 

 convej'^ his lands in Bucks county. His 

 early experiences among the Indians 

 are mentioned on page 222 of vol. i. of 

 Proud's "History of Pennsylvania.'" He 

 died 5, mo. 21, 1706, aged sixty years. 



John Scarbrough, Jr., remained in 

 Bucks county, when his father returned 

 to England in 1684. His actual residence 

 from that date until 1689, when he is 

 shown to have been residing at Nesham- 

 iny, (the name by which Middletown 

 Meeting was first known, as well as the 

 locality), is somewhat a matter of con- 

 jecture. A sketch published at page 

 244, vol. 29, of "The Friend," states that 

 he was born in London in 1667. Samuel 

 Preston, a great-grandson, born in 1756, 

 in a letter written in 1823, says that he 

 ran away when a youth and resided sev- 

 eral years among the Indians, learned 

 their language, and later ofticiated at 

 Indian treaties as interpreter. It is said 

 that at one time he was instrumental in 

 preventing an Indian war. He is known 

 to have been a great friend of the Indi- 

 ans, and is said to have visited them on 

 religious missions. He married about 

 1690, but, though he was an active mem- 

 ber of Middletown Meeting, the maiden 

 name of his wife Mary has never been 

 ascertained. On the records of this 

 meeting appear the dates of the birth 

 of four of his children, his eldest child 

 William being born 10 mo. 30, 1691. 

 In pursuance of the power of attorney 

 from his father, he sold the Middletown 

 land and obtained a warrant of survey 

 for 510 acres in Solebury, on which he 

 settled about 1700, exchanging it later 

 for 820 acres adjoining. The 510 acre 

 tract is at the present time bounded as 

 follows, viz: Beginning at the Five 

 Points, and thence extending 250 

 perches along the road leading toward 

 Lahaska, to the first right hand road, 

 thence along the latter road 324 perches 

 to the road leading from Carversville 

 to Aquetong, thence along this road 250 

 perches to the Mountain road, thence 

 along that road to the place of begin- 

 ning. The 820 acre tract began at a point 

 where the Lower York road crossed the 

 eastermost boundary' of the 510 acre 

 tract, and thence extended northwest- 

 ward 410 perches to the Upper York 

 road, thence along that road 324" perches 

 to a road located between the present 

 Solebury Creamery and Centre Hill, 

 thence along this latter road, southeast, 

 410 perches to a point and thence 

 southwest 324 perches to the place of be- 

 ginning. A sketch published on page 

 244 of Volume 29 of the "Friend" in- 

 dicates that he was the first white man 

 to settle in the Buckingham-Solebury 

 valley. On 6 mo. 5, 1702, he and John 

 Bye requested that a Meeting be set 

 apart at Buckingham, and Falls' IVIonth- 

 ly Meeting consented that a First Day 

 Meeting be held at the house of Thomas 

 Bye. The Quarterlj^ Meeting records 

 mention him as a minister and also in a 

 list of "Friends eminent for their piety 

 and virtue since their settlement in 

 America." He was an elder of Bucking- 

 ham Meeting prior to its establishment 



