36o 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



years he sold the estate and returned to 

 the home farm, which he purchased after 

 the death of his father, which occurred the 

 following year. He has served as school 

 director, is a Republican in politics, and a 

 member and trustee of the New JMennon- 

 ite church. JNlr. Myers married, May i, 

 1869, Lydia, born February 7, 1845, daugh- 

 ter of Henry Aloyer, of Lehigh county. Of 

 the eleven children born to Mr. and Mrs. 

 Mjers, Barbara, Susanna and Henry are 

 deceased, and the following survive : Os- 

 car, who lives in Milford township ; Jo- 

 seph, who is a resident of the same place, 

 Titus, who resides in Dublin, Bedminster 

 township; Pierson, Isaiah, Levinus, Abra- 

 ham, and Menno, all of whom reside at 

 home. 



OWEN L. UNDERWOOD. One of 

 Pennsylvania's old families is represented 

 by Professor Owen L. Underwood, of New 

 Hope. The founders of the Underwood 

 family in America were three brothers, 

 Zephaniah, Alexander, and John, wiio came 

 over from Wales not less than two centu- 

 ries since. Alexander settled in Virginia 

 and John in jNIassachusetts, where his de- 

 scendants are numerous. Zephaniah made 

 his home in York county, Pennsylvania. 

 One branch of Alexander's family came 

 to Pennsylvania (Owen L. Underwood is a 

 descendant of this branch). Zephaniah, a 

 descendant of Alexander, was born in 

 York county, Pennsylvania, where his son 

 Charles was also born. All the Under- 

 woods of this branch were farmers and 

 members of the Society of Friends. 



Reuben L. Underwood, son of Charles 

 Underwood, mentioned above as the de- 

 scendant of the emigrant ancestor, Alexan- 

 cer Underwood, was born in 1842, in Uni- 

 onvi'le. Center county, Pennsylvania, i'ud 

 received his education in the common 

 schools. He was a farmer ar.<l in 1883 

 moved to Adams county, where he remained 

 until 1903, when he abandoned tarmmg 

 and removed to Grampian, Clearfield coun- 

 ty, where he now resides. He is a staunch 

 Republican and has filled several local of- 

 fices which were entirely unsought by him. 

 He has been on active worker in his party 

 and influential in its councils. He is a 

 men-.ber of tiie Society of Friends. He 

 married Emeline Griest, and they were the 

 parents of twelve children, ten of whom 

 survive: Ida J., who is a graduate of 

 the State Normal School and is now en- 

 gaged in teaching; William A., who is a 

 farmer in Illinois ; Miles W., who is a 

 contractor and painter in Clearfield, Penn- 

 sylvania; Eli G., who is a merchant in 

 Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania; Owen 

 L., mentioned at length hereinafter; Ed- 

 ward, who is a farmer in Illinois; Alfred 

 who is a graduate of the State Non-nal 

 School and is now teaching in the public 

 schools; Lydia, who is attending the State 

 Normal School at Shippensburg; Bessie; 

 and Eliza, at home. 



Owen L. Underwood, son of Reuben L. 

 and Emeline (Griest) Underwood, was 

 born April 16, 1879, in Unionville, Center 

 county, Pennsylvania, and attended the 

 public schools of Adams county, graduating 

 after a uniform course in 1895. In 1897 

 he attended a summer Normal school 

 at York Springs, and in 1901 gradu- 

 ated from the Shippensburg State Nor- 

 mal School, having previously taught 

 two terms. After his graduation Pro- 

 fessor Underwood taught one term at 

 Johnsville, Bucks county, and in the au- 

 tumn of 1902 went to New Hope, having 

 been made principal of the public schools 

 of that place, in which position he is now 

 serving his fourth term. He is a member 

 of York Springs Lodge, No. 211, I. O. O. 

 F., is a Republican in politics, and a mem- 

 ber of the Society of Friends. The length 

 of time that Professor Underwood has 

 been retained in his office sufficiently at- 

 tests his popularity. 



JOSEPH H. FRETZ, a successful and 

 prosperous business man of Doylesiovvn, 

 Pennsylvania, was born in Hilltown town- 

 ship, Pennsylvania, August 6, 1876. He is 

 a descendant of John Fretz, who, with his 

 brother Christian, emigrated to this coun- 

 try from INIanheim, Grand Duchy of Baden, 

 Germany, about 1725, settling for a time in 

 Montgomery county, where he was married 

 to Miss Barbara Mayer, of Upper Salford 

 township, by whom he had five children, 

 namely : John, Jacob, Christian, Abraham, 

 Elizabeth. His wife died in 1740, and he 

 remarried and had three children. In 

 1738 he purchased two hundred and thirty 

 acres of land, in Bedminster township 

 where he died, February, 1772. 



Jacob Fretz, second son of John and Bar- 

 bara (Mayer) Fretz, married Magdalena 

 Nash, daughter of William Nash, in 1755, 

 and settled in Tinicum township, Pennsyl- 

 vania, near Arwinna, returning to Bed- 

 minster, where he died. 



Abraham Fretz, second child of the ten 

 children born to Jacob and Magdalena 

 (Nash) Fretz, was born January i, 1758. 

 When he was seventeen years of age, a 

 team and wagon of his father's was im- 

 pressed with the American army to carry 

 powder and stores from Trenton to bos- 

 ton, and he w-as placed in charge of the 

 team during this long journey, and was 

 present at the battle of Bunker Hill, re- 

 maining with the army three months, and 

 he then returned home. March 14, 1786, 

 he married Miss Elizabeth Harmon, and 

 lived after marriage in Hilltown township, 

 near Leidytown, engaging in farming and 

 weaving. Five children were born of this 

 union, namely : Jacob, Susan, John. Cath- 

 erine, Abraham. Abraham Fretz died Feb- 

 ruary 14, 1839, his wife surviving him four 

 years, passing away in 1843. 



John Fretz. second son of Abraham and 

 Elizabeth (Harmon) Fretz, and grandfa- 



