HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



'OD 



(III) Jacob Walton, son of Jeremiah 

 Walton, was a farmer of Montgomery- 

 county, and his son 



(IV) Isaiah Walton was born in 

 ^Montgomery county, and wedded Mary 

 Harding, whose birth occurred in Bucks 

 county, and who belonged to a promi- 

 nent old family founded in America in 

 early colonial days. She was descend- 

 •ed from Henry Harding, of Churchville, 

 Bucks county. The children of Henry 

 Harding were: Thomas, Joseph, Jon- 

 athan, Isaac, Abram, and Sarah, who 

 married Jesse Gilbert. Thomas Hard- 

 ing was a farmer by occupation, and 

 was a member of the Friends' meeting. 

 His children w^ere: Thomas, Henry, and 

 Mary, the last named the grandmother 

 of Heston Walton and the wife of Isa- 

 iah Walton. Isaiah Walton settled near 

 York Pike, below Hatboro, where he 

 reared his family and remained until 

 his death. His children were: Seth, 

 Sarah, Joseph, Jacob, Thomas, and 

 Mary. 



(V) Thomas Walton, son of Isaiah 

 and Mary Walton, was born in Mont- 

 gomery^ county, and wedded Mercy Hes- 

 ton, also a native of Bucks county. 

 Thomas Walton was reared to the oc- 

 cupation of farming and afterward 

 learned the stone-mason's trade, which 

 he followed for twenty years. He then 

 engaged in agricultural pursuits, and at 

 the time of his marriage settled upon 

 the farm which is now occupied by the 

 son, Heston, taking up his abode there 

 about 1842. He reared his family upon 

 that place, and died December 14, 1882, 

 at the advanced age of eighty-two years. 

 He lived the quiet life of a mechanic and 

 farmer, attending strictly to his busi- 

 ness without active participation in pub- 

 lic affairs, save that he never neglected 

 his duties of citizenship. He was a 

 faithful adherent of the Friends' meet- 

 ing. His wife survived him and died 

 March 26, 1888, in the eighty-seventh 

 year of her age. She was a- daughter 

 of John and Rachel (Warner) Heston, 

 who also belonged to colonial families 

 that were identified with the Friends' 

 meeting and were highly respected peo- 

 ple. John and Rachel (Warner) Heston 

 had four children: Rebecca, who died 

 unmarried; Esther, who became the wife 

 of A. Michner; Mercy, who became Mrs 

 Walton; and Hannah, the wife of C. 

 Starkhou5^e. 



(VI) Heston Walton, the only child of 

 Thomas and Mercy (Heston) Walton, 

 was born and reared on the old family 

 homestead, where he yet resides, early 

 becoming familiar with the labors neces- 

 sary for the cultivation and develop- 

 ment of the fields and the care of the 

 crops. He pursued a public-school edu- 

 cation, and largely assisted his father in 

 the farm work during the period of his 

 youth, while later he has engaged in 

 farming and marketing on his own ac- 



count. In his work' he has prospered, 

 owing to his close application and care- 

 ful management, and he now has a well 

 improved farm on which is a commodi- 

 ous stone residence, large barns and 

 other outbuildings, and groves of forest 

 and fruit trees. He keeps the entire 

 place under a high state of cultivation 

 and uses the latest improved machin- 

 ery in operating his land. He is an en- 

 terprising and public spirited agricul- 

 turist, and in addition to his home place 

 owns a well improved farm in Mont- 

 gomery county. Mr. Walton exercises 

 his right of franchise in support of the 

 Republican party, takes an active inter- 

 est in the questions of the day and fre- 

 quently attends the party conventions, 

 but has never sought or desired office. 

 He was reared in the Friends' faith, and 

 although not a member of any church 

 has lived a life in consistent harmony 

 with high principles. 



In 1874 Mr. Walton was married to 

 Elizabeth Eastburn, who was born in 

 Makefield township, and is a daughter of 

 John and Sarah (Smith) Eastburn, rep- 

 resentatives of families long connected 

 with eastern Pennsylvania. The father, 

 John Eastburn, was a well known far- 

 mer of Bucks county, and throughout 

 his entire life remained on the old home- 

 stead, where he died January 27, 1878, 

 at the age of seventy^even years. His 

 wife had passed away August 18, 1863, 

 at the age of sixty-three years. They 

 were the parents of three children: Het- 

 tie A., the wife of C. Williams; Eliza- 

 beth, now Mrs. Walton; and one that 

 died unmarried. Mr. and Mrs. Walton 

 had a daughter, Hettie A., who was 

 born May 10, 1875. Mrs. Walton's 

 death occurred September 9, 1888. 



JOSHUA RICHARDSON. The 

 Richardson family of Attleboro, Penn- 

 sylvania, the members of which have 

 been noted for sterling integrity and in- 

 domitable courage and patriotism, was 

 founded in America in 1724 by Joseph 

 Richardson, who upon his arrival here 

 from his native land, England, located 

 near Oxford, where he commenced work 

 on the farm of William Paxson. Octo- 

 ber -21, 1732, he married Mary Paxson, 

 daughter of William Paxson. and short- 

 ly afterward moved to Four-Lanes-End, 

 where he engaged in business for him- 

 self in a country store. The line of de- 

 scent from the pioneer ancestors is as 

 follows: Joshua, who married Sarah 

 Preston: Joseph, who married Mary 

 Dixon; and Joshua, whose name appears 

 at the head of this sketch. 



Joshua Richardson, son of Joseph and 

 Mary (Dixon) Richardson, was born in 

 Attleboro, Pennsylvania, (now Lang- 

 horn borough) March 6, 1803. After 

 completing his studies in the Friends' 



