394 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



Princeton College and from the Princeton 

 Theological Seniinai-y. He resides at Chi- 

 cago, and the degree of Doctor of Philos- 

 ophy has been conferred upon him by Basle 

 University, Switzerland. 



G. W. Rubinkam was born on the old 

 family homestead where he now resides, 

 August 12, 1849, and pursued his education 

 in the common schools and in Tennent's 

 school. Liberal mental training well 

 equipped him for life's practical duties, and 

 in early manhood he successfully engaged 

 in teaching school. Later he occupied a 

 position in a railroad office at Mauch Chunk, 

 but upon the sudden death of his father he 

 returned home and purchased the old home- 

 stead property, after which he cared for his 

 mother. He paid a large price for the 

 farm, incurring considerable indebtedness 

 in order to do this, but he possessed strong 

 determination and unremitting energy, and 

 in course of time was enabled to discharge 

 his financial obligation. As his moneyed 

 resources increased he also bought another 

 farm, and he has continuously carried on 

 general agricultural pursuits. He has been 

 well known as a market man for twenty- 

 six years, only missing six market days in 

 all that time, and doing a regular commis- 

 sion business. He is the architect of his 

 own fortunes, and has builded wisely and 

 well. When the old homestead came into 

 his possession the buildings thereon were 

 of a poor character and of primitive con- 

 striction. These he has torn away, and 

 erected in their stead fine modern buildings, 

 including a substantial residence, a large 

 barn, and all the necessary outbuildings 

 for the shelter of grain and stock. Indeed, 

 he has made splendid improvements upon 

 his place, and his home stands upon a nat- 

 ural building site, commanding a tine view 

 of the surrounding country. There are 

 forest and fruit groves, and the various 

 features of the place constitute it one of the 

 best improved farm properties of the local- 

 ity. Mr. Rubinkam is a good financier, 

 having marked enterprise and capability, 

 and certainly deserves great credit for what 

 he has accomplished. In his political views 

 Mr. Rubinkam is a Republican, stanch and 

 unfaltering in his advocacy of the prin- 

 ciples of the party. He is regarded as one 

 of the leaders in his township, and always 

 attends its conventions and never fails to 

 cast his ballot at the elections. He has 

 filled most of the township positions, has 

 long been school director, and has also been 

 president of the School Directors' Associa- 

 tion. He is likewise a director of the Farm- 

 ers' and Mechanics' Fire Insurance Com- 

 pany, acting as one of its five managers. 

 This company was organized in 1843 and 

 has had a prosperous existence. Mr. Rub- 

 inkam is also very active in church work, 

 and has been the valued superintendent of 

 the Sunday-school at Neshaminy for several 

 years. He has also been elder of the church, 

 its secretary and clerk of the session, and 

 is a very regular attendant upon its serv- 

 ices. He has been secretary and treasurer 



of the Bucks County Sabbath School Asso- 

 ciation, and is now filling the office of jus- 

 tice of the peace, in which capacity he has 

 served for ten years. 



December 18, 1873, Mr. Ribinkam was 

 married by Dr. Greenough, of Philadel- 

 phia, to Rachel C. Buckman, who was born 

 in Bucks county, and is a daughter of Will- 

 iam and Sarah Buckman, of a leading 

 Quaker family of this part of the state. Her 

 father has lived the quiet life of a farmer, 

 but his genuine worth has made him highly 

 respected. There was one child born of 

 this marriage, Mary, who is now acting as 

 secretary for her uncle, A. Buckman, the 

 president of the Windstorm Insurance 

 Company of Iowa. I\Ir. Rubinkam was 

 called upon to mourn the loss of his first 

 wife in 1876, her death occurring March 18, 

 of that year, when she was twenty-two 

 years of age. March 7, 1878, he wedded 

 Sarah C. Shoemaker, who was to him a 

 faithful and devoted wife and helpmate. 

 Her father, Nathan Shoemaker, belonged 

 to an honored and prominent colonial fam- 

 ily of eastern Pennsylvania. He carried on 

 agricultural pursuits ■ quite successfully in 

 his younger years, and later turned his 

 attention to the real estate business and to 

 building operations in Philadelphia, where 

 he yet resides. He is a member of the 

 Friends' meeting. By her marriage she be- 

 came the mother of seven children : Nathan 

 I., a farmer and market man living on the 

 old homestead ; Jesse, who is a book- 

 keeper of Philadelphia ; Edna M., a grad- 

 uate of the Doylestown high school and of 

 Pierce's Business College of Philadelphia, 

 and now occupying a position as sten- 

 ographer in that city; Carrie, died at the 

 age of two years ; Lillian Geraldine, at 

 home; Samuel S., died in infancy; and 

 Elizabeth Y., at home. February 4, 1900, 

 ]\Irs. Sarah C. Rubinkam passed away. 

 She worshipped with her husband in the 

 Neshaminy church, was a devoted Chris- 

 tian woman and a devoted wife and loving 

 mother. February 6, 1902, Mr. Rubinkam 

 was again married. Miss Elizabeth Shoe- 

 maker McCarter becoming his wife. She 

 was born in Montgomery county, Pennsyl- 

 vania, a daughter of James and Rebecca S. 

 (Shoemaker) McCarter. The Shoemaker 

 family was established in Pennsylvania in 

 colonial days, and its representatives have 

 been prominent in community and state af- 

 fairs. The McCarter family is of Scotch- 

 Irish lineage. James McCarter was a son 

 of Joseph McCarter, and was connected 

 with a distinguished old Presbyterian fam- 

 ily. He became a leading agriculturist 

 of his community, was a Republican in poli- 

 tics, served as school director, and held 

 other minor positions. Both he and his 

 wife reside in Ivyland and they are affiliated 

 with the Presbyterian church. Their chil- 

 dren are: Sarah R. Magee ; Elizabeth, now 

 Mrs. Rubinkam ; and Mary, the wife of 

 E. P. Carroll. Mr. Rubinkam is a member 

 of the Historical Society of Bucks county, 



