246 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



and reporter for the United States Agri- 

 cultural Department. He is a prominent 

 member of the Mennonite church, and a 

 Republican in politics. 



In i860 Mr. Moyer was married to Tvlary 

 Swartley, who was born in New Britain 

 township, in 1835, a daughter of John 

 Swartley. Their children arc: i. Emma, 

 born December 17, i86r, died January 9, 

 1881. 2. Levi, born May 22, 1864, married 

 Anna Detwiller, and they are the parents 

 of the following named children : William 

 D., born December 25. 1887; Sarah Amelia, 

 born July 27, 1889; Hannah Theresa, born 

 October 23, 1891 ; Mary Maria, born April 

 17, 1894; Irene, born February 2. 1896; 

 Enos, born July 5, 1898; Eva. born Febru- 

 ary 9, 1900; Nora, born in June, 1901. 3. 

 Abraham S., born November 7, 1866, mar- 

 ried Susie M. Fretz, daughter of Eli Fretz, 

 of Bedminster, and one child is the issue of 

 this union, Alvin, born October 18. 1900. 4. 

 William, born November 29, 1S68. a mer- 

 chant of Chalfont. 5. Menno S., born 

 November 18, 1870, was educated in the 

 State Normal School at West Chester, and 

 Haverford College. After his graduation 

 he taught school for a number of years, 

 and now is a member of the firm of Moyer 

 Brothers, merchants of Lansdale. He 

 married Annie Souder, and their children 

 are : Evelyn Elizabeth and Margarette, 

 born February 2, 1904. 6. Harvey, born 

 March 16, 1877, married Macie Johnson. 

 The mother of these children died January 

 2, 1888. Mr. Moyer married for his second 

 wife Mrs. Hannah Slifer Weis, who was 

 born near Quakertown, Richland township, 

 Bucks county. October 6, 1837, a daughter 

 of Joseph Slifer. 



WILSON B. McKINSTRY. Nathan 

 McKinstry, the founder of the Mc- 

 Kinstry family in this country, was a 

 native of the north of Ireland. He was 

 born in the year 1712 and came to this 

 country when a youth. In connection with 

 a brother-in-law, Hugh Young, they pur- 

 chased in 1744 a tract of 195 acres in 

 Wrightstown. which they subsequently di- 

 vided. Ten years later he sold his Wrights- 

 town farm and removed to that part of 

 Buckingham township now included in 

 Doylestown township, where he purchased a 

 farm of 202 acres and resided thereon until 

 his death, April 15. 1790. He and his wife 

 Mary were active members of Neshaminy 

 Presbyterian church of Warwick township, 

 of which he was a trustee. Their children 

 were John, born ^7?,6, died 1791 ; Jane, born 

 1745, married James Kerr, died 1797; 

 Samuel, born 1748, died January 24, 1796; 

 Henry, born 1750. died November 28. 1804; 



William, born 1752, died ; Robert, born 



1756, died July 25. 1834. 



Robert McKinstry, youngest son of Na- 

 than and Mary, was born on the Bucking- 

 ham homestead in T756. and remained there 

 until his father's death in 1790. He mar- 



ried in 1783 Mary Weir, daughter of James 

 Weir, of Warrington. Her sister, Rebecca 

 Weir, married John Simpson and became 

 the grandmother of U. S. Grant. The dis- 

 tinguished soldier and statesman, shortly 

 after his graduation at West Point, paid a 

 visit to his cousins, the McKinstrys of 

 Warrington. On the marriage of Robert 

 INIcKinstry, his father built a house for him 

 on the old homestead, but at the settlement 

 of his father's estate he did not elect to 

 retain any of the paternal, farm, and took 

 up his residence in New Britain. He died 

 July 25, 1834. His wife Mary died April 6, 

 1846, at the age of eighty-nine years. 



Robert and Mary (Weir) McKinstry were 

 the parents of seven children, viz : Jane, 

 born 1784, died unmarried April 24, 1869; 

 John, born November i, 1786, died unmar- 

 ried September 24, 1863 ; Nathan, born Jan- 

 uary 29, 1791, died December 23, I862 ; Rob- 

 ert, born 1793, died September 5, 1871 ; Wil- 

 liam, born 1796, settled in Ohio; James, borr» 

 1799, died 1877; and Henry, born 1805. Rob- 

 ert McKinstry, wife and their five sons and 

 one daughter who remained in Bucks county 

 were all active and consistent members of 

 Neshaminy Presbyterian church ; John was 

 for a long period a trustee ; and Henry and 

 Nathan were elders. In their later days 

 services were frequently held in their houses^ 

 John, Nathan, James and Henry lived in 

 Warrington, and Robert lived and died ors 

 the homestead in New Britain ; he left no 

 issue. 



Henry McKinstry, the youngest son of 

 Robert and Mary, was reared on the home- 

 stead, and early in life learned the trade of 

 a carpenter, which he followed for several 

 years. In April, 1832, he purchased of 

 Antlinn-" Robinson a farm of ninety acres, 

 pnd erecting an entirely new set of buildings- 

 thereon settled down to agricultural pur- 

 suits. He married. November 29, 1838,. 

 Amanda Brady, daughter of Alexander 

 Brady, of Philadelphia, but for many years 

 a resident of Warrington, where he died in 

 1863. Henry McKinstry was an elder in- 

 the Neshaminy Presbyterian church for a 

 number of years. He was active and prom- 

 inent in social and political matters of his 

 community, and served several years as 

 school director. After a long and usefuT 

 life, he died in 1885 at the age of eighty- 

 years. His wife Amanda died in August, 

 1902. The children of Henry and Amanda 

 CBradv) McKinstry were five in number, 

 viz.: Sarah. Mary. Wilson Brady. Henry 

 Martyn, and Franklin Pierce. Sarah mar- 

 ried David Cornell ; Mary married Samuet 

 McNair ; and Franklin married Jennie Boil- 

 cau. He is now a prominent physician of 

 Washington, New Jersey. 



Wilson Brady McKinstry, eldcn son of 

 Henry and Amanda (Brady") McKinstry, 

 was born March i. 1846, on the farm where 

 he still resides. On arriving at manhood 

 he assumed the conduct of the home farm 

 which he purchased at the death of his 

 mother. In politics he is a Democrat, but 



