3i8 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



to him, and he was a consistent member 

 of the Reformed church, taking a very 

 active part in its work, and serving as 

 trustee for a long period. He died June 

 14, 1900, at the age of sixty-live years. 

 He was prominent in fraternal circles, 

 "belonging to Doylestown Lodge, No. 

 245, A. F. and A. J\I.; Doylestown Chap- 

 ter, R. A. M.; Pennsylvania Comman- 

 dery. No. 70, K. T., of Philadelphia: and 

 Warrington Lodge, No. 447, L O. O. F. 

 He filled the position of school director 

 for nineteen years and held other town- 

 ship offices. 



John B. Walter was married December 

 2, 1856, to Miss Adeline E. Hoover, who 

 Avas born in Warrington township, Sep- 

 tember 10, 1831, and died February 4, 

 1905. She was a lady of intelligence and 

 culture. Her parents were Frederick W. 

 and Maria (Fleck) Hoover, both de- 

 scendants of early settlers of Bucks 

 county. Her paternal grandparents 

 were Philip and Mary (Conrad) Hoover, 

 who were born in this county and were 

 of German descent, the Hoover family 

 having been established in Pennsylvania 

 at an early epoch in the colonization of 

 the state. Frederick W. Hoover, father 

 of Mrs. John B. Walter, was reared on 

 the home farm, and after his marriage 

 engaged in merchandising in Pleasant- 

 ville, Pennsylvania, for a number of 

 years. Subsequently he purchased a 

 tract of land and continued to make his 

 home upon the farm, which he there de- 

 veloped until his life's labors were ended 

 in death. When he was at Pleasantville 

 he became one of the founders and or- 

 ganizers of the Reformed church and 

 one of its pillars, taking a most active 

 part in its work and serving as elder. 

 His home was always' open for the re- 

 ception of the ministers and the church 

 people. Possessing marked musical 

 talent, he was a leading singer in the 

 church and also played upon different 

 musical instruments. His ability in this 

 ■direction also added to the attractive- 

 ness of his home. He voted with the 

 Democracy and held different township 

 offices, while his father and grandfather 

 were prominent in political circles of 

 the state, each representing his district 

 in the general assembly. Frederick W. 

 Hoover was married to Maria Fleck, a 

 daughter of Adam Fleck, who died from 

 camp fever contracted while serving in 

 the war of 1812. He was a farmer of 

 Montgomery county prior to entering 

 the army. He and his brothers, Daniel 

 and Jacob, were representatives of an old 

 Pennsylvania family. Adam Fleck had 

 six children: Charlotte; Samuel; Maria, 

 who became Mrs. Frederick W. Hoover; 

 Eliza; Benjamin; and Adam. The chil- 

 dren of Frederick W. and Maria 

 (Fleck) Hoover were Tilghman A.; Ade- 

 line E., who became Mrs. John B. Wal- 

 ter: Philip W.. of Philadelphia: F. Ly- 

 man, deceased; Samuel, of North Wales; 



Truman and William L., both of Phila- 

 delphia; Frank, who is living at lilue- 

 bcll; and Andrew, who died at the age 

 of fourteen years. They were reared in 

 the Reformed church, but some of the 

 family became identified with other re- 

 ligious denominations. 



The children of John B. and Adeline 

 E. (Hoover) Walter are: Mary H., a 

 school teacher; Ida E., the wife of Frank 

 Larzelere; Mattie L., the wife of H. M. 

 McKinstry; Maria, the wife of Edward 

 Garges; Andrew J., pastor of the Dutch 

 Reformed church at Harlingen, New Jer- 

 sey; and William, who died at the age of 

 nineteen years; Samuel, who died at the 

 age of two years; and Gertrude, at the 

 age of six years. The children of Ed- 

 ward and Maria Garges are Ethel F., 

 born March 8, 1893; John W., born Oc- 

 tober I, 1894, died March 8, 1903; Mary 

 E., born November 7, 1896; Mildred A., 

 May 17, 1898; Henry W., December 16, 

 1900; and Anna M., January 12, 1903. 



JOHN HART, president of the 

 Doylestown Trust Company, and his 

 brother Frank Hart, of Doylestown, re- 

 tired banker, are the sons of Josiah and 

 Sarah (Brock) Hart. The former was 

 born in Doylestown township, February 

 3, 1846, and the latter February 24, 1851. 

 On the paternal side they are of Scotch- 

 Irish descent. 



Among the thousands of Ulster Scots 

 who migrated to Pennsylvania in the 

 first half of the eighteenth century 

 were those who formed two distinct set- 

 tlements within the present limits of 

 Bucks county, one on the banks of the 

 Neshaminy in Warwick, Warrington and 

 New Britain, and the other on the banks 

 of the Tohickon in Plumstead. Tinicum 

 and adjacent townships. In the latter 

 settlement were the Stewarts, Harts, 

 Means, McGlaughlins, Pattersons, Arm- 

 strongs, Erwins, Davies and a host of 

 others, more or less united by ties, con- 

 sanguinity, and common interest, whose 

 names are found on the earliest lists of 

 military companies organized for the 

 defense of the frontiers against their 

 hereditary enemies, the French and their 

 savage allies. 



Among these early settlers on the 

 Plumstead side of the Tohickon about 

 1735 was Samuel Hart and his family, 

 consisting of wife and nine children, the 

 eldest of whom, James, was born in the 

 year 1717, and the second son William 

 was probably three or more years 

 younger. Samuel Hart obtained a war- 

 rant of survey for 100 acres of land on 

 March 9, 1737, and settled thereon. Ten 

 j-ears later in 1747 when the first clouds 

 of war appeared on the horizon, com- 

 panies were formed in the several town- 

 ships for the defence of the frontiers. 

 The Plumstead company had for its cap- 

 tain the veteran Charles Stewart, lieu- 



