HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



337 



Breen, was a resident of Ireland and 

 spent his entire life there. His only 

 child was James Breen, who followinjg 

 his marriage settled upon a farm in Ire- 

 land, and all of his children were born in 

 that country. In 1849 he emigrated to 

 America, and the following year was 

 joined by his family. He went first to 

 New Jersey, but soon afterward re- 

 moved to Bucks county, Pennsylvania, 

 and located in Northampton township. 

 He was there employed as a laborer and 

 did some contracting on the turnpike. 

 Later he purchased a small farm in 

 Wrightstown township, and subse- 

 quently sold that property and bought 

 a tract of land in Northampton town- 

 ship. His wife died in Northampton 

 township in 1858, and he afterward mar- 

 ried again. In his old age be and his 

 second wife made their home with his 

 son, Patrick, and he here died in 1881. 

 He was a stanch Democrat in his politi- 

 cal views, but never an aspirant for 

 office. Both he and the mother of Pat- 

 rick Breen w^ere Catholics in religious 

 faith. They had five children: Patrick; 

 Johanna, who since 1861 has been in the 

 convent known as Mount Hope Retreat 

 near Baltimore. Maryland; Margaret, 

 the wife of Patrick McNanaman; Will- 

 iam, a prominent farmer, who died at 

 Spring House; and Elizabeth, who be- 

 came the wife of A. Colligan, of Jersey 

 City, New Jersey, but both have passed 

 away. 



Patrick Breen pursued his education 

 in subscription schools of his native 

 land, and when nineteen years of age 

 crossed the Atlantic to the new world. 

 For four years he was employed as a 

 laborer, and then rented a farm, remain- 

 ing thereon for two years after his mar- 

 riage, when in 1856 he purchased the 

 farm upon which he now resides known 

 as the Thomas Helm farm. It was then 

 but partly improved, but he has erected 

 a large commodious frame residence, a 

 substantial barn and other necessary out- 

 buildings for the shelter of grain and 

 stock and has added all of the modern 

 equipments, keeping his place in an ex- 

 cellent state of cultivation. He follows 

 general farming and markets his pro- 

 ducts at Philadelphia. He also raises 

 some stock, keeping a herd of good cows 

 and selling the milk at the creamery. He 

 has always been a practical and success- 

 ful farmer, and is a stockholder in the 

 Creamery Company. 



In January, 1853, Mr. Breen was 

 united in marriage to Miss Catherine 

 Maher. who was born in Ireland, a 

 daughter of ]\Ir. and Mrs. Thomas Ma- 

 her. who spent their entire lives in that 

 country. Mrs. Breen was reared by an 

 aunt, as was her brother, Timothy 

 Maher. who came with her to America 

 and who was later known as a leading 

 agriculturist of his community. He died 

 and was buried in Doylestown. In the 

 22-3 



family of Mr. and Mrs. Breen were nine 

 children, of whom six died in childhood, 

 including Lizzie, who passed away at the 

 age of thirteen. The others are: Will- 

 iam, who followed the butchering busi- 

 ness; Thomas, who was a painter by 

 tarde and possessed considerable artistic 

 skill; and James, a butcher. The last 

 named is the only one now living. Mrs. 

 Catherine Breen departed this life in 

 July, 1879, in the faith of the Catholic 

 church. On the 24th of November, 1881, 

 Mr. Breen was married to Miss Annie 

 Brahan, who was born in Ireland, July, 

 1846, a daughter of Michael and Mary 

 Brahan, also natives of that country 

 whence they came to America in 1849, 

 settling in Bucks county. Her father 

 was an industrious man and hard worker. 

 He voted with the Democracy, and both 

 he and his wife were of the Catholic 

 faith. He died in 1903 at the age of 

 eighty years, while his wife's death oc- 

 curred in 1882, when she was seventy- 

 five years of age. Their children were 

 Annie; Kate, deceased; Maria, deceased, 

 who was the wife of William J. Brennan; 

 Bridget, deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Breen 

 had one son, John, who was born Janu- 

 ary 15, 1892, and died April 14, 1892. 



Mr. Breen gave his early political sup- 

 port to the Democracy, but at the open- 

 ing of the rebellion, he became a champion 

 of Republican principles. He is thor- 

 oughly informed on all questions per- 

 taining to the history of the world. He 

 has always taken an active interest in 

 politics, has been judge of elections, and 

 in 1892 was chosen to fill the position of 

 clerk of quarter sessions in Bucks 

 county, serving for three years in a 

 manner creditable to himself and satis- 

 factory to his constituents. In 1879 he- 

 was appointed by the legislature to the 

 position of engineer for the capitol at 

 Harrisburg, and acted in that capacity 

 for two years. He has a wide and fav- 

 orable acquaintance in the county in 

 which he has lived from early manhood, 

 to the present. 



O. JAMES JOHNSON, a well known 

 resident of Haycock township, Bucks coun- 

 ty, Pennsylvania, son of Charles and Esther 

 (Strawn) Johnson, was born January 10. 

 1838, on the homestead farm now owned 

 and occupied by his brother, H. Watson 

 Johnson, in the northern part of Richland 

 township, and which farm is part of the 

 tract of land acquired by Casper Johnson 

 (i), from Richard and Thomas Penn in 

 the early part of the eighteenth century. 

 Casper Johnson (2), son of Casper John- 

 son, the immigrant, was the father of 

 Charles Johnson, who in turn was the 

 father of O. James Johnson. 



Charles Johnson (father) was born on 

 the homestead farm. He attended the sub- 

 scription schools of the neighborhood, and 



