3i6 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



and Mrs. Wildman: Edith, born May 23, 

 1882, died in infancy. Allen Comly, born 

 June 8, 1883. Clara Wilson, born Janu- 

 ary 22, 1886. Emma Comly, born Oc- 

 tober 18, 1888. John, born September 14, 

 1891, died in infancy. The children are 

 bright and intelligent, and the family are 

 highly esteemed in the community in 

 whch they live. The family are mem- 

 bers of the Society of Friends. 



JOHN L. KULP, whose enterprising 

 spirit has prompted him to fill many 

 public positions resulting in benefit to 

 his community and who is well known 

 as proprietor of a hotel in the village 

 of Plumsteadville, was born in Bed- 

 minster township, Bucks county, No- 

 vember 13, 1857, and is a representative 

 of one of the old families of this part 

 of the state. His paternal grandfather, 

 Henry Kulp, lived and died in Bucks 

 county, where for many years he fol- 

 lowed the occupation of farming. He 

 was a member of the Old Mennonite 

 church. His children were: Jacob, 

 David, Abraham, Hannah, who married 

 John Porter; Mary, the wife of Isaac 

 Gross; and Elizabeth, the widow of 

 /Samuel Wismer. 



Abraham Kulp, son of Henry Kulp, 

 was born in Bedminster township, in 

 1816, and in early life learned the shoe- 

 maker's trade, which he followed for 

 many years in connection with general 

 agricultural pursuits. He was a member 

 ■of the Mennonite church and a law-abid- 

 ing citizen, whose upright life won the 

 respect of all. He wedded Miss Nancy 

 Leatherman, a daughter of John Leath- 

 ■erman, and his death occurred in August, 

 1900. To them were born six children: 

 Mary, wife of Aaron M. Kulp; Annie, 

 wife of Isaac S. Yothers; Barbara, who 

 ■died in childhood; John L., Henry, who 

 died in childhood; and Abraham. 



John L. Kulp acquired his education 

 in the common schools of Bucks county 

 and in the State Normal schools at Mil- 

 lersville and Westchester, Pennsylvania. 

 He afterward engaged in teaching 

 through the winter months, while in the 

 summer seasons he worked at the car- 

 penter's trade, giving his attention to the 

 dual pursuits for about ten years. In 

 1887 he began farming in Bedminster 

 township and while carrying on the work 

 of cultivating the fields through the 

 summer months he continued as a 

 teacher for about ten years. He was 

 thus closely identified with the educa- 

 tional development of his locality, and 

 was acknowledged as one of the com- 

 petent instructors in the common 

 schools of Bucks county. In 1897 he 

 purchased the hotel at Plumsteadville, 

 and has since given his undivided atten- 

 tion to its conduct, making it a popular 

 hostelry with the traveling pirblic. Polit- 



ically a Republican, Mr. Kulp is now fill- 

 ing the office of township auditor, and 

 while he has never been very active as 

 an office seeker he has always kept well 

 informed on the questions and issues 

 of the day. He belongs to the Odd Fel- 

 lows Lodge, No. 678, now of Plum- 

 steadville, where he has passed all of the 

 chairs, and he likewise belongs to the 

 Order of United American Mechanics, 

 No. 75, at Plumsteadville, in which he 

 has also filled all of the offices. His re- 

 ligious faith is indicated by his mem- 

 bership in the Old Mennonite church. 

 John L. Kulp was married to Miss Han- 

 nah E. Barndt, a daughter of Henry and 

 Elizabeth Barndt, and they became the 

 parents of nine children, of whom one 

 died in infancy. The others are: Henry 

 B., born July 29, 1884; Isaac Newlin, 

 December 7, 1886; Eleanora, July 2, 

 1888; Anna Mary, September 20, 1889; 

 Estella May, December 20, 1891; Abram 

 Lincoln, September 12, 1893; Aaron 

 Freeman, February 13. 1895; and John 

 Walter, born April 29, 1S97. 



EDWARD GARGES. The Garges 

 family came from Germany and was 

 planted on American soil in colonial 

 days. Almost continuously from the 

 time that the white race had dominion 

 over the district embraced in Bucks 

 county, representatives of the name have 

 been connected with its history. The 

 family in more recent generations is rep- 

 resented by descendants of Abraham and 

 John Garges. Abraham was grandfather 

 of Edward Garges, learned the black- 

 smith's trade and lived a life of a me- 

 chanic and farmer. He held member- 

 ship in the Mennonite church, and was 

 interested in public afifairs to the extent 

 that he gave hearty support to all move- 

 ments which he believed would contrib- 

 ute to the general good. He married 

 Leah Ruth, and died in the year i860. 

 His children were William, a farmer; 

 Henry, father of Edward Garges; Lewis, 

 a farmer; Rebecca, who became the wife 

 of Joseph Funk; Mrs. Mary J. Fell; 

 Sarah A., wife of O. P. Shutt; Priscilla, 

 wife of H. Hines; and Amy and Abra- 

 ham, both deceased. 



Henry Garges, son of Abraham and 

 Leah Garges, was born in Doylestown, 

 Bucks county. August 19, 1830, and 

 reared upon the old family homestead, 

 which is now owned by Joseph Rich. 

 He was but sixteen years of age_ ^yhen 

 his father and uncle John, who jointly 

 owned the above property, dissolved 

 partnership by drawing sticks, and it fell 

 to his father's lot to leave, so he removed 

 to another farm in Bucks county. At 

 the time of his marriage he settled upon 

 a tract of land in Doylestown township, 

 near Edison, which he yet owns, al- 

 though he is now living retired from ac- 



