1 86 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



lowed farming and trncking in Bensalem 

 until the spring of 1804. when he was 

 appointed steward -of the Bucks County 

 Home, a position he has since filled to 

 the satisfaction of the people of Bucks 

 county, being several times successively 

 reappointed • by the different boards of 

 directors of the poor. He has always 

 affiliated with the Republican party po- 

 litically, and had for many years been 

 active in local politics prior to his ap- 

 pointment as steward, representing his 

 district on the county committee. He 

 served as supervisor of Bensalem town- 

 ship for three years, being elected by a 

 handsome majority in a Democratic dis- 

 trict. He married, March 16, 1872, Ellen 

 Powell, daughter of David and Mary 

 Ann (Moore) Powell, of Bensalem, and 

 a representative of one of the oldest 

 families in that locality, and they are the 

 parents of two children: Wesley, born 

 November 8. 1875, ^"d Bertha, born No- 

 vember 10, 1879. Wesley, the son, was 

 educated at the public schools of Ben- 

 salem and the Doylestown high school, 

 of which he is a member of the alumni. 

 He studied law in the office of the Hon. 

 Robert M. Yardley, and was admitted to 

 the Bucks county bar, April 23, 1902. On 

 January i, 1903, he formed a partner- 

 ship with John C. Swartley, Esq., as- 

 sistant United States attorney for the 

 Eastern District of Pennsylvania, under 

 the firm name of Swartley & Bunting, 

 and the firm are enjoying a good prac- 

 tice in the several courts of Bucks 

 county. Bertha, the daughter, resides 

 with her parents. 



John S. Bunting, youngest child of 

 Joseph and Melvina (Kessler) Bunting, 

 was born in Hulmeville, Middletown 

 township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. 

 November 5, i860. When five years of 

 age he removed with his parents to By- 

 berry, Pennsylvania; in 1874 removed 

 to Penn's Manor; and in 1876 to Croy- 

 don, Bensalem township, where he pur- 

 chased a farm in 1880, which by intelli- 

 gent labor has been brought to a high 

 state of cultivation. Mr. Bunting has 

 served as supervisor two years, and is 

 now a member of the school board. He 

 is a Republican in politics, and is re- 

 garded as a citizen of influence and 

 \vorth in the community in which he 

 resides. 



March 2q, 1888, Mr. Bunting married 

 Emeline Virginia Otto, of Bristol, Penn- 

 sylvania, daughter of Lewis and Ann 

 (Hain Otto, and a descendant of a 

 German ancestry. She was educated in 

 the public schools of Byberry and Bris- 

 tol. Their children are: Marion Louisa, 

 born March 15. 1889; .Mbert John, born 

 July 12. t8oo; Frederick, born .'Xpril 27, 

 1892: and Katharine F., born Sentembcr 

 24, 1896, who died in infancy. The chil- 

 dren were educated in the public schools 

 of Bristol township, and reside with 

 their parents on the home farm. 



JOHN A. FELL, M. D., of Doyles- 

 town, was born in Buckingham town- 

 ship, Bucks county, October 21, 1850, a 

 son of Jesse and Priscilla Sands Fell, 

 and is a descendant in the sixth genera- 

 tion from Joseph Fell, of Louglands, 

 Cumberland, England, and Bridget Wil- 

 son, his wife, who came to Bucks county 

 in 1705 and settled in Buckingham two- 

 years later. 



Benjamin Fell, born in Cumberland, 

 England, 9 mo. i, 1703, married 6 mo. 

 27, 1728, Hannah Scarborough, daughter 

 of John Scarborough, of Solebury, and- 

 had by her six children, four of whom 

 grew to maturity: John, born 4 mo. i, 

 1730; Asa, born 1732, married Elizabeth 

 Mitchell; Phebe, who married Stephen 

 Kirk; and Benjamin, who married Re- 

 becca Casner. Benjamin settled on land 

 in Buckingham conveyed to him by his 

 father in 1726, where Charles Carwitben 

 now lives, and later purchased consid- 

 erable land adjoining. He was married 

 three times, and has left a large number 

 of descendants. His wife Hannah was 

 born 8 mo. 31, 1704, and died 2 mo. 21. 

 1743. He died 9 mo. 12, 1758. 



John Fell, eldest son of Benjamin and 

 Hannah, born 4 mo. i, 1730, was also a 

 farmer. He purchased of his cousin, 

 Isaac Fell, the farm upon which his 

 great-grandson, Preston J. Fell still lives, 

 soon after his marriage, and spent his 

 whole life thereon. He married, to mo. 

 30. I7.=;3. Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas 

 and Elizabeth (Paxson) Hartley, of Sole- 

 bury, and had thirteen children, eleven 

 of whom lived to maturity, viz: Mahlon; 

 William; Nathan; Seneca; Miriam, who 

 married David Carr; Jonathan; Hannah; 

 George; Rachel, who married John Pax- 

 son; John and Jonas. 



Jonas Fell, youngest son of John and 

 Elizabeth, was born on the old home- 

 stead 8 mo. 17, 1777, and died there i mo. 

 8, 1854. He married 3 mo. 28, 1802, 

 Sarah, daughter of Joseph and Mary 

 (Comfort) Church, and great-grand- 

 daughter of Joseph Fell. Sr.. and his 

 second wife. Elizabeth Doyle, through 

 the marriage of their daughter Sarah to 

 Richard Church, the father of Joseph. 

 Sarah Church Fell was born 8 mo. 20. 

 i8_, and died 5 mo- 25, i857- They had 

 five children, viz.: Hannah, born 1803, 

 married Charles Kirk; Jesse, bom 3 mo. 

 t8o6; Lvdia. born iSii. married Jesse 

 Dean; Jonas, born 1813. married Mary 

 Louderborough; Sarah, born 1816, mar- 

 ried Isaac Mathews. 



Jesse Fell, born 3 mo. 8. t8o6, was the 

 father of the subiect of this sketch. He 

 married 2 mo.. 1828, Priscilla Sands, 

 daughter of William and Jane Sands, of 

 Buckingham, born in 1808. and died 12 

 mo. 7. i88j. Jesse Fell died in t8?8. The 

 children of Jesse and Priscilla Fell were 

 ten in number, viz.: Lvdia Ann. born 

 T829. married Samuel Frankenfield. and 

 is still living in Buckingham; Sarah 



