2:;0 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



also keeps good horses, both for the farm 

 work and driving. Mr. Harrar was reared 

 in the Democratic faith, and has always 

 supported the party, but has never sought 

 or desired office. 



He has been married twice. His first 

 wife died August 8, 1898, leaving a son, 

 Carrell, who was born May 3, 1893. 

 December 4, 1901, Mr. Harrar wedded Miss 

 Susan C. Parry, belonging to one of the 

 old and prominent families of Pennsyl- 

 vania. Her parents were Isaac C. and 

 Sarah B. (Hicks) Parry, both natives of 

 Bucks county, descended from ancestors 

 who have long been identified with the 

 development and progress of the state. 

 The mother was a daughter of Edward and 

 Sarah (Worstel) Hicks, of Newtown. Ed- 

 ward and Elias Hicks were cousins, and 

 both were highly educated and became emi- 

 nent preachers, being the founders of the 

 Hicksite branch of the Friends society. Ed- 

 ward Hicks was an eminent divine of that 

 denomination, and was well known through- 

 out ■ the world by the representatives of 

 the Society of Friends. He resided in Lang- 

 horne and at Newtown, Bucks county, but 

 he preached the gospel according to his 

 interpretation in many places in America 

 and thoroughly established the faith in 

 which he believed. The children of Ed- 

 ward Hicks were : Mary. Mrs. Susan Car- 

 lac, Isaac W.. Mrs. Elizabeth Plummer, 

 and Mrs. Sarah H. Parry. 



In the paternal line the ancestral history 

 of Mrs. Harrar can be traced back through 

 many generations to Thomas Parry. Sr.. 

 who came from Radmanshire, Wales, to 

 America during colonial days and settled 

 in Montgomery county, being one of the 

 early promoters of development and prog- 

 ress in eastern Pennsylvania. He assisted 

 in laying broad and deep the foundation 

 for the present development and progress 

 of his part of the state, and was a leading 

 and influential resident of. Pennsylvania. 

 He and his descendants have been con- 

 sistent members of the Society of Friends. 

 to which they yet adhere. They have lived 

 lives of simplicity and of honesty, and have 

 ever commanded the respect of those with 

 whom they have come in contact. Thomas 

 Parry, Sr., was the father of Thomas Par- 

 ry, Jr., and he was the father of Jacob 

 Parry, whose son Isaac Parry. Sr., was the 

 father of Isaac C. Parry, who was Mrs. 

 Harrar's father. Isaac Parry, Sr.,* was a 

 broad-minded, intelligent business man and 

 farmer, who was often called upon to write 

 wills, settle estates and acts as guardian for 

 heirs. None of the family have ever as- 

 pired to elective offices or public notoriety 

 of any kind. They have mostly followed 

 farming, but others have been concerned 

 with industrial and commercial interests. 

 Thomas Parry, Sr., obtained a large tract 

 of land at Edgehill. where he improved nn 

 extensive farm, becoming very successful. 

 There he reared his family and spent his 

 remaining days. Thomas Parry, Jr., his 



son, was reared to manhood upon the old 

 homestead and after his marriage removed 

 to Bucks county, Pennsylvania, where he 

 purchased an extensive tract of land^ 

 including the farm upon which James 

 S. Harrar now resides. Thomas Parry- 

 improved a large portion of his property 

 and thereon reared his family. His son 

 Jacob married and settled upon the. old 

 homestead, continuing the work of 

 further development and there he, too, 

 lived and died. His son, Isaac Parry, 

 Sr., obtained the old homestead, which 

 in turn was inherited by his son, Isaac 

 C. Parrj^ and both reared their fami- 

 lies and died upon that place. During 

 the period of the revolutionary war the 

 Parry family was often molested by the 

 contending armies, who foraged upon 

 their place. On one occasion a scouting 

 party of English came to the homestead 

 farm and found there some fat sheep, 

 one of which they killed, compelling 

 Mrs. Parry to cook it for them in the 

 Dutch oven. Before the cooking pro- 

 cess had been completed, however, a: 

 party of American scouts appeared and 

 the British fled, so that the American' 

 troops got the meal which had been 

 prepared for the other soldiers. The 

 Parry family, from Thomas Parry, the 

 progenitor in America, down to the 

 present generation, has always been dis- 

 tinguished for simplicity of living, pur- 

 ity of morals, untiring industry and high 

 principles. Isaac Parry, Sr., grandfather 

 of Mrs. Harrar, was born upon the old 

 family homestead in June, 1774, and died 

 there in October, 1857. He was mar- 

 ried twice, his first union being with 

 Sarah Hopkins, by whom he had three 

 children: Rebecca. Jacob and Richard 

 H. His second wife was Mary Nixon, 

 a daughter of Samuel and Susan (Rob- 

 erts") Nixon, also of a prominent family 

 of Bucks county, and their children 

 were: Tacey, who died unmarried; 

 Thomas; Samuel; Isaac C; Susanna; 

 and Mary, who became the wife of Jo- 

 seph Saunders, of Philadelphia, and is 

 the only one now living. 



Isaac C. Parry, father of Mrs. Har- 

 rar, was born and reared on the old fam- 

 ily homestead in Bucks county, and 

 became one of the prominent farmers 

 of the locality, carrying forward the 

 work of agric\iltural development that 

 had been instituted by his ancestors. He 

 was a man of sterling integrity and 

 honor, his name being above reproach, 

 and he lived a life in harmony with the 

 principles of Friends, in which he reared 

 his family and they have never departed 

 from that faith. He married Miss 

 Hicks, and they became the parents of 

 five children: Elizabeth H., who mar- 

 ried Isaac Warner; J. C. of Philadel- 

 phia: Tacey M.. the wife of R. Willetts: 

 Mary S.; and Susan C. the wife of J. S. 

 Harrar. The father died upon the old 



