HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



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Andrew and Martha (Smith) Shaddinger, 

 of Point Pleasant, and they are the parents 

 of two children, Lloyd Napier, and 

 Dorothy S. 



WILLIAM H. MURRAY, one, if not 

 the oldest resident of New Hope, Penn- 

 sylvania, at the time of his death, was 

 born in the city of Philadelphia, Penn- 

 sylvania, January 31, 1817, and died in 

 New Hope, Pennsylvania, November 

 23, 1904, after an almost continuous res- 

 idence of nearly eighty-eight years. He 

 was one of thirteen children born to Jo- 

 seph D. and Margaret M. (Sharp) Mur- 

 ray, four of whom still survive. Thomas 

 S., a resident of Trenton, New Jersey; 

 Frances, wife of James E. Darrow, Tren- 

 ton, New Jersey; Anna, widow of 

 Charles E. Aaron, of Norristown, Penn- 

 sylvania; and J. Howard Murray, of 

 Trenton, New Jersey. Joseph D. Mur- 

 ray (father) was born in Edenton, North 

 Carolina, November 7, 1788. His grand- 

 father emigrated from Scotland with a 

 colony that settled on the Roanoke river, 

 naming the settlement Scotland Neck. 

 His parents settled in Edenton. His 

 mother dying in his infancy, he was left 

 an orphan at the age of seven years by 

 the death of his father, and came under 

 the care of his uncle Henry. After his 

 uncle's death, and at the age of eighteen 

 years he came to Philadelphia, engag- 

 ing in the dry goods business. In the 

 spring of 1817 when his son William 

 was but two weeks old he removed to 

 New Hope, Pennsylvania, where he en- 

 gaged in general merchandising. He 

 purchased the house in which his son 

 so long resided (a portion of the resi- 

 dence being built later), and in two 

 rooms of this house conducted a suc- 

 cessful business. After engaging several 

 years in mercantile pursuits he disposed 

 of the same, and then turned his atten- 

 tion to the lumber business, from which 

 he derived a goodly income. 



At the age of fifteen years, after com- 

 pleting a common school education with 

 two years at a private school at Bur- 

 lington. New Jersey, William H. Mur- 

 ray accepted a position in an engineer 

 corps engaged in laying out and build- 

 ing the Beaver Meadow Railroad above 

 Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania, with Ario 

 Pardee at head of corps. His compen- 

 sation at first was $14 per month, which 

 was later advanced until it reached 

 $4 per day, and at finishing of road was 

 made superintendent of same at nineteen 

 years of age. Subsequently he engaged 

 in the lumber business with his father. 

 In 1838 and '39 he was in the silk busi- 

 ness, hatching out the eggs and carry- 

 ing it on in its different branches to the 

 finished product. This was considered 

 at the time as a business with a bright 

 future. In 1840 Mr. Murray engaged in 

 mercantile pursuits, but at the expira- 



tion of six years he disposed of same 

 to his brother Thomas. In 1848 he 

 joined in partnership with A. J. Beau- 

 mont and Samuel Sutton in the plow 

 business, continuing until 1852. In 1853 

 and '54 he was engaged with his brother 

 Thomas in building a portion of the 

 Flemington railroad. In 1858 and '59 

 he was in the soap and candle business 

 bought of Charles B. Knowles. In April,. 

 1859, he again became interested in the 

 agricultural implement business, and. 

 for the next ten years manufactured 

 the same. When the civil war broke out 

 Mr. Murray told his employees to ofifer 

 their services to their country if they 

 so wished and he would take care of 

 their families as far as he was able. 

 He called upon the burgess and prom- 

 inent citizens in order to secure funds 

 to raise a company, was successful 

 therein and he assisted in putting in the 

 crops for the men who went to the front. 

 In 1871 he was engaged in the lumber 

 business with his brother-in-law, James 

 E. Darrow, Trenton, New Jersey, for 

 four years. In 1877 he engaged in the 

 grocery business, continuing until 1896 

 when he retired from active pursuits and 

 lived a retired life. He was a consistent 

 member of the Baptist church for many 

 years, and an earnest advocate of Re- 

 publican principles. 



CHARLES EDWARD DURNER. a 

 prominent factor in commercial circles 

 in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, was born 

 on Front street, Quakertown, the son of 

 Charles Frederick and Mary Jane 

 (Speaker) Durner, and belongs to a 

 family distinguished for five generations 

 as organ builders. Charles Edward Dur- 

 ner is descended from Conrad Durner 

 and his wife, Rosina Gauibier, of Wur- 

 temberg, Germany. Their son, Chris- 

 tian Durner, (grandfather of Charles 

 Edward Durner) was born 1810, and 

 died 1879. He followed the trade of or- 

 gan building, as did his ancestors, and 

 emigrated to America, settling in Zion 

 Hill.' He married Catherine Goll and 

 had a son, Charles Frederick. 



Charles Frederick Durner, father of 

 Charles E. Durner, was the son of 

 Christian and Catherine (Goll) Durner, 

 and was born April 3, 1838. in Wurtem- 

 berg, Germany. He attended the state 

 schools until he was fourteen years of 

 age, when he commenced a term of ap- 

 prenticeship to learn the trade of organ- 

 building, serving five years. He then 

 went to Lyons and Grenoble, France, at 

 these places working as journeyman and 

 tradesman for about five months. The 

 experience thus gained proved of no 

 little value to him in later years. In 

 1859 he emigrated to this country, set- 

 tling at Zion's Hill. Here he entered 

 into business for himself, but met with 

 opposition at first, owing to the fact that 



