338 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY 



his active career was devoted to farming. 

 He was one of the public-spirited and in- 

 fluential men of the community, and highly 

 esteemed for his integrity and enterprise. 

 He was an advocate of the principles of the 

 Whig party, to which organization he gave 

 his allegiance. He was united in marriage 

 to Esther Strawn, daughter of Abel and 

 Elizabeth Strawn, of Quakertown, and then- 

 children were: H. Watson, a sketch of 

 whom appears elsewhere in this work; 

 Mary Ann, wife of Aaron Walp, of Quaker- 

 town ; Oliver James, mentioned hereinafter ; 

 and Anna Maria, wife of Louis N. Shelly, 

 of Quakertown. 



After attending the public schools of 

 Richland township until his seventeenth 

 year, O. James Johnson assisted at farm- 

 ing with his father until his marriage m 

 the year 1S67. Shortly afterward he set- 

 tled on a farm near California station, in 

 Richland township, where he remained for 

 one year, after which he removed to the 

 farm of his father-in-law. Abram Stover, 

 at Tohickon, in Haycock township, where 

 he remained until the spring of 1883. when 

 he moved to where he now resides. This 

 farm which contains eighty-seven acres of 

 arable land, he purchased in 1882 from 

 Charles McCarthy, and he greatly improved 

 the same by. erecting an entire new set of 

 buildings which added greatly to its ao- 

 pearance. He conducted this as a dairy and 

 general farm until 1900, when he retired 

 from active work and was succeeded by his 

 eldest son, Elmer Johnson, to whom he 

 rented the farm and stock. Since that -ear 

 Mr. Johnson has led the quiet life of a 

 country gentleman, enjoying to the full the 

 consciousness of a life well snent. He takes 

 little interest in public affairs. He is a Re- 

 publican in politics, and while he ardently 

 believes in the principles of that party has 

 taken only nominal interest in its work, 

 and beyond serving two terms as a school 

 director has never aspired to or held any 

 other office of a political nature. 



Mr. Johnson married January 19, 1867. 

 Anna Maria Stover, daughter of Abram and 

 Sarah (Fulmer) Stover, farmers, of Hay- 

 cock township. Bucks county. Pennsylvania. 

 Their children are as follows : Elmer, born 

 April 16. 1868. married November 10, 1894. 

 Emma Afflerbach, daughter of John and 

 Abbie (Fulmer) Afflerbach, farmers of 

 Haycock township. Mr. and Mrs. Elmer 

 Johnson reside on a farm, and their chil- 

 dren are: Abbie Laura, died in infancy; 

 Anna Maria, and Clarence Wilmer. Mr. 

 and Mrs. Johnson belong to the Reformed 

 church at Kellers Church. Pennsvlvania. 

 Laura, born August 12. 1869, married, De- 

 cember 12, 1892. Stover Detweiler. son of 

 John and Lavina Detweiler, of Haycock 

 township ; he is a miller by trade, and re- 

 sides in East Rnckhill township, near 

 Thatcher Post Office, Pennsylvania, and 

 their children are: Mabel, died in infancy; 

 Laura Grace, Blanche, died in infancy: and 

 Earl. Mr. and Mrs. Detweiler are members 

 of Kellers Reformed church. Louis, born 



May 9, 1871, married, February 19, 1896, 

 Annie Frankenfield, daughter of Abel and 

 Cathrine (Hager) Frankenfield, farmers 

 of Haycock township. They reside at Hay- 

 cock Run, where Mr. Johnson is engaged 

 at farming; their children are: Elsie, James 

 Freeman and Ruth. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson 

 belong to the Lutheran church at Kellers 

 Church, Pennsylvania. Harry, born No- 

 vember 12, 1872, died October 5, 1873. 

 Minnie, born November 2, 1874, married 

 February 20, 1897, Isaac Ruth, son of David 

 and Mary (McElroy) Ruth, farmers of 

 Springfield township. They reside at Pleas- 

 ant Valley, Springfield township, where Mr. 

 Ruth is engaged in farming. Mr. and Mrs. 

 Ruth are both members of the Lutheran 

 church of Springfield township, Pennsyl- 

 vania. Their children are : Florence Pearl, 

 and Harry Watson, died in infancy. El- 

 mira, born October 31. 1876, married, No- 

 vember 28, 1898, Edwin Lewis, son of Tesse 

 and Elizabeth (Lutz) Lewis, of Haycock 

 township; they reside at Lansdale, Penn- 

 sylvania, where Mr. Lewis is engaged in the 

 livery business. Mr. Lewis is a member of 

 the Lutheran church at Kellers Church, 

 Pennsylvania, and Mrs. Lewis is a member 

 of the Reformed church of the same place. 

 Their children are : Esther Elizabeth, 

 Richard, died in infancy ; Evelyn Myrtle, 

 died in infancy; and Edith Margaret. 

 Freeman, born April 3. 1880, unmarried, is 

 employed on the home farm with his 

 brother, Elmer Johnson. He also is a mem- 

 ber of the Reformed church at Kellers 

 Church. Warren, born October 16, 1881, 

 unmarried. resides at Fairview, near 

 Quakertown ; he is a blacksmith by trade. 

 Stover, born May 21, 1887. unmarried, re- 

 sides on the homestead farm, and is a mem- 

 ber of the Reformed church of Kellers 

 Church. 



JOEL M. MASON has spent his en- 

 tire life in Falls township, his birth oc- 

 curring w'ithin its borders on May i, 

 1850. Several generations of the family 

 have been represented here. His pa- 

 ternal grandfather. Ernest ]\Iason. lived 

 arid died in Bucks county and was iden- 

 tified with its agricultural interests. He 

 married Hannah Hart and they had five 

 children: Daniel: Joel; Edmond; Ruth, 

 wife of Walter Collas; and Ernest, who 

 was drowned when a child. 



Joel Mason, son of Ernest Mason, was 

 born in Falls township, in 188^. In early 

 life he began farming and afterward in 

 connection with the tilling of the soil 

 took contracts to make excavations. In 

 politics he is a stanch Democrat, active 

 in the interest of the party and doing 

 all in his power to promote its growth 

 and insure its success, yet never seeking 

 political preferment for himself. For 

 some years he was the supervisor of the 

 Delaware Navigation Company on its 

 canal. He married Miss Anna Feir, of 

 New Jersey, and they had five children : 



