HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



211 



:good academic education. His father 

 dying when he was fourteen years of 

 age, he was cast upon his own resources, 

 and learned the trade of a stove moulder, 

 which he followed for some years. An 

 accident, by which his foot was badly 

 burned in the discharge of his duties, 

 decided him to prepare himself for the 

 medical profession. He resumed his 

 studies at Washington Hall, where he 

 also taught for a short time, and began 

 his preparation for his chosen profes- 

 sion under the preceptorship of Dr. 

 Gross, of Harleysville. He later entered 

 Jefiferson Medical College, from which 

 he graduated in 1859. He located in 

 Nockamixon township, Bucks county, 

 and soon built up a large practice, be- 

 coming one of the leading physicians of 

 upper Bucks, and was engaged in profes- 

 sional work there for thirty-three years, 

 dying March 6, 1892. Dr. Grim was a 

 man of good business qualifications and 

 strict integrity, and always held the es- 

 teem and confidence of his community. 

 He was the owner of a fine farm near 

 Revere, the work'of which he superin- 

 tended in connection with his profes- 

 sional duties. In politics he was a Dem- 

 ocrat, and he and his family were mem- 

 Tsers of the Reformed church. Dr. 

 Grim married in 1857 Elizabeth P. 

 Koons, who survives him, and the}' were 

 the parents of nine children, as follows: 

 F. Harvey, who succeeded his father as 

 a practicing physician at Revere; 

 George W., a physician at Ottsville, 

 Bucks county; A. Florence, wife of Os- 

 car H. Bigley, of Doylestown, tran- 

 scribing clerk in the recorder of deeds 

 oflice; Webster, the subject of this 

 sketch: Frank S., a physician at Baptist- 

 town, New Jersey; Harry E., law part- 

 ner with his brother Webster, under 

 the firm name of Grim & Grim, with 

 offices at Perkasie, Pennsylvania; Cora 

 B., wife of W^illiam H. Rufe. a merchant 

 at Riegelsville; Nora E., wife of Asher 

 K. Anders, Esq., a successful attorney 

 of Doylestown; and James S., professor 

 of natural science at Keystone Normal 

 School, Kutztown, Pennsylvania. 



Hon. Webster Grim, the third son, 

 was reared in Nockamixon and attended 

 the public schools of that township and 

 the Riegelsville high school, and later 

 entered "the Keystone normal school at 

 Kutztown, Pennsylvania, from which he 

 graduated in 1887. Prior to his gradu- 

 ation he taught school in Bucks county 

 for five years. Immediately after his 

 graduation he began the study of law in 

 the office of Nathan C. James. Esq., and 

 was admitted to the bar of Bucks county 

 in September. 1889. Locating in Doyles- 

 town. he at once began the practice of 

 his chosen profession and Jiuilt up a lu- 

 crative practice. He was the Democratic 

 nominee for district attorney in 1894. but 

 was defeated by a small majority, re- 

 ceiving a much larger vote than the 



other nominees on the ticket. He has 

 been active and prominent in the coun- 

 cils of his party for many years, and 

 has served as delegate to several 'state 

 conventions, and was permanent chair- 

 man of the state convention of 1903. He 

 filled the office of justice of the peace for 

 Doylestown borough from 1890 to 1900, 

 and did a large amount of official busi- 

 ness. He was elected a member of the 

 school board in 1900 and re-elected in 

 1903 and is at present the treasurer of 

 the board. In the fall of 1902 he was 

 elected to the state senate, and in the 

 sessions of 1903 and 1905 took an active 

 part in the proceedings of the upper 

 house, introducing a number of merit- 

 orious bills and serving on important 

 committees. In the latter session he 

 was chairman of both Democratic cau- 

 cuses, and was the recognized leader of 

 the minority party in the legislature. He 

 was at all times the uncompromising foe 

 of vicious legislation and extravagant 

 appropriations, and his course met with 

 the approbation of his constituents 

 without reference to party. Among the 

 important bills introduced by him was 

 one for the regulation of the speed of 

 and registration of automobiles, which 

 was passed at the session of 1903. and 

 amended upon his motion at the session 

 of T905: a bill for freeing the toll bridges 

 over the Delaware river between tlie 

 states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey 

 and New York; and a bill for more ade- 

 quate punishment of the crime of crim- 

 inal assault. He was also instrumental 

 in securing liberal appropriations for 

 Bucks county educational institutions. 

 He was one of the prominent candi- 

 dates before the Democratic state con- 

 vention of 1905 for the nomination for 

 judge of the superior court, and only the 

 decision to nominate but one candidate 

 defeated his nomination. 



Being possessed of a natural musical 

 talent he has given much time to the 

 organization and perpetuation of mus- 

 ical organizations. He was for five years 

 musical director of the choir of the 

 Doylestown Presbyterian church, and 

 has since filled the position of choir 

 master and organist at the Salem Re- 

 formed church, of which he is a mem- 

 ber. He also had charge of the musical 

 part of the program at the Bucks 

 County Teachers' Institute for many 

 vears. and has been the director of the 

 Arion Glee Club for many years, furnish- 

 ing vocal music for entertainments in 

 all parts of Bucks county. He was su- 

 perintendent of the Sabbath school of 

 the Salem Reformed church for twelve 

 years, and introduced a uniform and 

 graded course of studv that has since 

 been adopted bv a number of other Sab- 

 bath schools in the county and else- 

 where. He has been one of the most 

 active mei-nbers of St. Tammany Castle, 

 No. 173, Knights of the Golden Eagle, 



