426 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



victions. He is a worthy mcnilicr of the 

 Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the 

 Junior Order of United American Me- 

 chanics, and the Brotherhood Accident 

 yVssociation of Boston, jMassachusctts. 

 In September, 1877, Mr. Ramsey was 

 united in marriage to Miss Ellen Ritchie, 

 who was born in Bucks county, in 1H55, 

 her parents being Robert and Arabella 

 (Aaron) Ritchie, the latter a sister of 

 ex-sheriff Aaron, of Bucks county. Her 

 grandfather, Thomas Ritchie, was a na- 

 tive of Montgomery county, Pennsyl- 

 vania, and belonged to a family whose 

 identification with the state dates back 

 to colonial days. Robert Ritchie was a 

 carpenter of considerable mechanical in- 

 genuity, and he still resides in Montgorn- 

 ery county, at the age of seventy-seven 

 years, although he has been an invalid 

 for some time. His w'ife died in 1896. 

 Their children were: Ellen, now Mrs. 

 Ramsey; Horatio, a mechanic; Aaron, a 

 farmer; William, a mechanic, now de- 

 ceased; Rhoads. a butcher; Amelia, the 

 wife of F. Treble; Emily, the wife of A. 

 Rush; and John, a farmer. 



Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey are the parents 

 of six .children: John, a carpenter and 

 contractor; Laura, wife of C. Dudbridge; 

 George, a carpenter; Robert R., who is 

 farming the old homestead; Amelia, and 

 Adella. 



THOMAS CLAXTON NEGUS, an 

 enterprising and highly esteemed citi- 

 zen of the torough of Bristol, where he 

 has resided since 1876, a period of twen- 

 ty-nine years, is a native of the city of 

 Philadelphia, the date of his birth being 

 March 17, 1831. His parents were Stephen 

 West and Eliza (Ray) Negus, the former 

 named having been a son of John Negus, 

 and grandson of John Negus and the 

 latter named born in Georgetown, D. C, 

 a daughter of John and Harriet (Clax- 

 ton) Ray. The Rays were a very prom- 

 inent family in the District of Colum- 

 bia, as were also the Claxton family, of 

 which Commodore Claxton, noted for 

 his career in the United States navy, 

 was a member. 



Thomas C. Negus received his pre- 

 paratory education in the public schools 

 of Philadelphia, and in 1848, after pur- 

 suing the regular course of instruction, 

 graduated from Yale University. Shortly 

 after\vard he entered the counting room 

 of his father, who was engaged in the 

 wholesale grocery business, and after 

 spending a brief period there was pro- 

 moted to the position of cashier, in which 

 responsible capacity he served four 

 years. He then entered the firm of Ray 

 & Negus, this connection continuing un- 

 til his retiretnent from active pursuits in 

 1889. In 1876 Mr. Negus purchased a 

 farm in Bristol borough, which he im- 

 proved and cultivated, and has resided 

 thereon continuously since that date. He. 



is a member of the Episcopal church, 

 and a Republican in politics. Mr. Negus 

 married May 10, 1854, Martha Jane 

 Shearer, of Philadelphia, daughter of 

 Jacob and Margaret (Baldwin) Shearer. 

 Their children are as follows: i. Mary 

 Shearer, born in 1855, became the wife of 

 John S. Ely, of Doylestown, Pennsyl- 

 vania, and they are the parents of one 

 child: Claxton Negus Ely, educated in 

 the public schools of Philadelphia, and is 

 now employed by the New York Central 

 & Hudson River Railroad Company. 2. 

 Josephine Baldwin. 3. Georgina. 



WILLIAM L. ELY, farmer and lime- 

 burner, of Solebury township. New Hope 

 postofiice, was born in New Hope, March 

 4, 1863, and is a son of Daniel and 

 Sarah (Cox) Ely, both deceased. His- 

 emigrant ancestor Joshua Ely was born 

 in Yorkshire, England, in 1649, a son 

 of Rev. George Ely and Sarah Heath,, 

 of Mansfield, who married Mary Sen- 

 ior and settled in Durham, Notting- 

 hamshire. In 1684 Joshua Ely emi- 

 grater to America and settled at Tren- 

 ton, New Jersey, where he purchased 

 of his brother-in-law, jNIahlon Stacy, 

 400 acres lying wholly in what is 

 now the city of Trenton. His second 

 son George married Jane Pettit, and 

 "their son Joshua married Elizabeth Bell 

 in 1730, and removed to Bucks county irr 

 1738 upon 500 acres of land, two-thirds 

 of which still belongs to his descendants. 

 He lived and died where the subject of 

 this sketch now lives, part of the present 

 residence having been erected by hirrk 

 about 1750. Joshua and Elizabth (Bell) 

 El J' had seven children: Joshua; George; 

 John: Hugh; Sarah, married William 

 Kitchin; Hannah, married James Du- 

 bree; and Jane married Jonathan Bald- 

 erston. John, born May 28, 1738, inher- 

 ited the homestead portion of the tract 

 from his father. He married first Sarah 

 Simcock. and Asher Ely, grandfather of 

 the subject of this sketch, was the only 

 son. Asher was born on the old home- 

 stead, July II, 1768, and at the death 

 of his father in 1811 the farm descended 

 to him. He married Eleanor Holcomb 

 in 1791. and had nine children. Daniel 

 Ely. father of William L., was born Oc- 

 tober 27. 1796. At the death of his- 

 father, August 12, 1855. the hereditary 

 acres became vested in him and his 

 maiden sister Sarah, and at the death 

 of the latter the whole title vested in 

 Daniel. He married late jn life Sarah 

 Cox. and at his death. March 14. 1886, 

 devised the farm to his only son \\'ill- 

 iam L. Ely. Daniel Ely was a miller by 

 trade, and for many j^ears operated the 

 old mill still standing on the farm. 

 Lime has been quarried and burnt on 

 the premises for a century or more, and 

 the subject of this sketch on arriving at 



