284 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



principal of the Soldier's Orphan's 

 schools of Quakertown. He served for 

 three years in the war of the rebellion, 

 becoming a member of the One Hun- 

 dred and Fourth Pennsylvania Infantry, 

 Colonel W. H. Davis commanding. He 

 performed his full duty as a valorous 

 soldier and on the expiration of his term 

 of service w^as honorably discharged. Po- 

 litically he vt-as a Democrat until the 

 time of the war, when he espoused the 

 cause of the Republican party that stood 

 so loyally by the Union in the darkest 

 hour of our country's history. Follow- 

 ing the war he engaged in farming, and 

 in his later life lived retired, making 

 his home in Langhorne, where he died 

 in 1896, when seventy-four years of age. 

 In early manhood he married Anna A. 

 Van Sant, a native of Bucks county, who 

 died in 1871, and later he wedded Sarah 

 Aaron. His first wife was a daughter 

 of Garrett Van Sant. of Bucks county, 

 who was a blacksmith by trade, for 

 many j'cars closely identified with the 

 industrial life of his community. His 

 political views accorded with the prin- 

 ciples of Democracy, and he filled the 

 office of county commissioner. His re- 

 ligious faith was that of the Presbyter- 

 ian church. The children of Mr. and 

 Mrs. Van Sant are: George, William, 

 Maria, Elizabeth, Anna, and Jane. The 

 children of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Mar- 

 pie are : Frank H. ; William W.. a prom- 

 inent farmer; Mary, deceased; Florence; 

 and Ida, wife of Dr. Heritage, a physi- 

 cian of Langhorne. 



Frank H. Marple, son of Alfred Mar- 

 pie, was born in Langhorne township. 

 Bucks county, December 31, 1849, and 

 was reared to farm life, while in the pub- 

 lic schools he acquired his education. He 

 remained under the parental roof until 

 he had attained his majority, and in 

 1876 he was married and settled on the 

 old Hart homestead, where he remained 

 for four years. He then returned to the 

 township of his nativity and rented his 

 father's old homestead, there carrying 

 on agricultural pursuits until 1902, when 

 he purchased the old Hart homestead 

 on which he had resided immediately 

 after his marriage. Hereon he has 

 since made his home, his farm lying 

 partly in Warminster and partly in 

 Southampton townships. He carried on 

 general farming and matketed his own 

 produce, and for two years also operated 

 a creamery, but is now devoting his en- 

 tire time and attention to the produc- 

 tion of vegetables and cereals and to the 

 sale of his products in the Philadelphia 

 markets. His business af¥airs are ca- 

 pably managed and his enterprise and 

 unremitting diligence form strong and 

 basic elements for a successful career. 



Mr. Marple was married to Miss 

 Laura Tomlinson, a native of Bucks 

 county, and a daughter of William Tom- 

 linson, also of Bucks county. He was 



a carpenter by trade, and was killed 

 while serving his country in the civil 

 war, being for three years a member 

 of the Union army. In his political 

 views he was a Republican. His wife 

 long survived him, passing away in 

 T882. Their children were: Charles, Eliza- 

 beth, and Laura, the last named the 

 wife of Mr. Marple. To Mr. and Mrs. 

 JMarple were born three children: Will- 

 iam, who is clerking; Grace, at home; 

 and Alfred, who is a stenographer in 

 California. After the death of his first 

 wife, Mr. Marple married Mrs. Susan 

 Johnson, a cultured lady, whose par- 

 ents were William B. and Mary A. (Al- 

 ford) Kitchen, of Philadelphia. Her 

 father, a tailor by trade, followed that 

 business throughout his entire life, and 

 died at Center Hill in 1869. In his polit- 

 ical views he was a Republican, and 

 he held some local political positions. 

 He belonged to the Baptist church, of 

 which his wife, who now makes her 

 home with her children, is also a mem- 

 ber. In the Johnson family were six 

 children: Victor, Florence, Orville, 

 Claude. May and Burleigh. In his polit- 

 ical views Mr. Marple is a Republican, 

 but the honors and emoluments of of- 

 fice have had no attraction for him, and 

 although he is never remiss in the du- 

 ties of citizenship, he prefers to devote 

 his time and energies to his business af- 

 fairs, which are now bringing him a de- 

 sirable financial return. 



A. J. MILLER, following farming 

 near Neshaminy, was born in Philadel- 

 phia, February 18, 1845, and in the ma- 

 ternal line comes of German ancestry. 



His father, A. J. Miller, was born in 

 Allentown, Pennsylvania, and after ac- 

 quiring a good education went to Phila- 

 delphia as a young man, there engaging 

 in mercantile pursuits. He made for 

 himself an excellent place in business 

 circles in that city, becoming a member 

 of the firm of Miller, Weber & Hand, 

 conducting an extensive and profitable 

 business as dealers in dry goods at the 

 corner of Fourth and Market streets. 

 Mr. Miller remained a member of the 

 house until 1847, when his death oc- 

 curred at the age of forty years. While 

 business afifairs claimed much of his 

 time, he yet found opportunity to de- 

 vote to movements effecting the general 

 interests of society. He was a leading 

 member of the Presbyterian church, 

 and served as an elder and as superin- 

 tendent of its Sunday-school. He con- 

 tributed generously to the work of the 

 church .and did all in his power to ad- 

 vance the cause of Christianity. He 

 was also generous to those who needed 

 assistance, sympathetic with those in 

 sorrow, and at all times kind and con- 

 siderate. Having prospered in his busi- 



