HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



451 



the most prominent member of the family 

 was brought up on his father's farm. When 

 the revolution broke out he espoused the 

 cause of the colonies and shortly enrolled 

 himself. It is related of Michael Facken- 

 thal that when called upon to enroll he was 

 in the harvest field, but, cutting his sickel 

 into a post, signed his name at the head 

 of the Springfield Association. His military 

 record is highly creditable. On June 4, 

 1776, the continental congress resolved to 

 establish a "flying camp" of ten thousand 

 men in the middle colonies, of which Bucks 

 •county was to furnish a battalion of four 

 hundred. Joseph Hart, of Warminster, 

 was appointed colonel, and Valentine Opp, 

 Springfield, one of the captains. In this 

 company young Fackenthal enlisted, was 

 appointed a' sergeant, and served with his 

 company in a six months campaign, return- 

 ing home in December. On the night of No- 

 vember 16, he was with his company and 

 battalion in the attack on a force of Hes- 

 sians on Staten Island, capturing part oi 

 them. He was subsequently attacked with 

 camp fever, and prevented taking part in 

 the defense of Fort Washington. He re- 

 ceived an honorable discharge at the end 

 of his enlistment and six months pay. Mi- 

 chael Fackenthal re-entered the service in 

 1781 as second lieutenant of Captain Chris- 

 topher Wagners company, and performed a 

 two months' tour in New Jersey. Among 

 the officers he is mentioned as serving un- 

 der on this occasion were Governor Reed, 

 of New Jersey, and Brigadier General John 

 Lacey, of this county. 



In 1807 Michael Fackenthal removed to 

 Durham township, with w'hich he was sub- 

 sequently identified and where he spent his 

 life. He purchased plat 12 of the Durham 

 lands, on which he removed, and occupied 

 himself as a farmer and general business 

 man. He built a saw mill at the lower end 

 of Wyker's island in the Delaware, where 

 he carried on a large lumber trade. He 

 took an active part in politics, was many 

 years justice of the peace, elected county 

 commissioner, member of the assembly 

 1812-15; and died January 21, 1846, in his 

 ninetieth year. Michael Fackenthal mar- 

 ried Christina Derr, Springfield, born Sep- 

 tember 24, 1754, and died 1S28, at tne age 

 of seventy-four. ]Michael and Christina 

 Fackenthal were the parents of five chil- 

 dren : Catharine, born June 18, 1779, mar- 

 ried Younkin, and died March, 1859. 



Anna IMai-ia, born February 22, 1785, died 

 January 23, 1864. John, born February n. 

 1790, married Elizabeth Adams (born Jan- 

 uary 25, 1791, died May 4, 1878, leaving 

 six children). John Fackenthal held sev- 

 eral public trusts, was a member of assem- 

 bly 1825-27, register of wills, 1836, brigade 

 inspector of militia, and died November 

 21, 1865. 



Peter Fackenthal, fourth child of Mich- 

 ael and Christina, born June 12, 1792, mar- 

 ried Elizabeth Long, of Durham, born De- 

 cember 4, 1796, died June 12, 1877. They 

 -were the parents of twelve children. Two 



of the sons served in the civil war, one in 

 the 174th Pennsylvania militia, subse- 

 quently in the Nineteenth Pennsylvania 

 Cavalry, and died in the hospital at Mem- 

 phis, Tennessee, December 5, 1864; the oth- 

 er in the Thirty-fourth New Jersey In- 

 fantry. Michael, born May 13, 1795, a land 

 surveyor and convej^ancer by profession, 

 was also a farmer and in the lumber busi- 

 ness with his father. He died February 

 15, 1872, leaving one son, Benjamin F. 

 Fackenthal, a graduate of Lafayette Col- 

 lege, and for many years a prominent mem- 

 ber of the Northampton county bar. 



EDWARD NICKLESON ELY, de- 

 ceased, for many years one of the well 

 known and popular residents of Yard- 

 ley, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, was 

 born in Solebury township, Bucks 

 county, October 3, 1832, and is a de- 

 scendant of Joshua and Mary (Senior) 

 Ely, who came from Nottinghamshire, 

 England, in 1684, and settled at Tren- 

 ton. New Jersey. An account of the 

 earlier generations of their descendants 

 is given in this volume under the head 

 of The Ely Family. 



Joseph Ely, the grandfather of Ed- 

 ward N., as shown in. the above quoted 

 article, w.is the eldest son of George 

 and Sarah (Magill) Ely, and was born 

 in Solebury, August 13, 1761, and mar- 

 ried ^lary Whitspn, daughter of Thomas 

 Whitson, Jr., starch 12, 1783. Their 

 children were: Anna, who married John 

 Magill; Charles, Thomas, Sarah, Tacy, 

 Joseph, Mary Jane' Elizabeth and Oliver. 

 Joseph Ely settled near New Hope on a 

 farm purchased by his father and died 

 there. 



Joseph Ely, son of Joseph and Mary, 

 born -November 16, 1794, on th« Sole- 

 bury homestead, which he subsequently 

 inherited at the death of his eldest 

 brother, Charles, and lived thereon until 

 eighty years of age, when, his children 

 all having married and settled elsewhere, 

 he sold his farm and lived the re- 

 mainder of his life in retirement: He 

 died at the home of his daughter in 

 Somerville, New Jersey, jNIarch 2, 1885, 

 in his ninety-first year. He married, 

 March 19. 1823, Ann Nickleson, daugh- 

 ter of Charles McCormick and Mercy 

 (Bailev') Nickleson, of Makefield, the 

 former a native of Ireland and the latter 

 a daughter of Edward Bailey, and a de- 

 scendant of early English Quaker settlers 

 on the Delaware. Joseph and Ann (Nickle- 

 son) Ely were the parents of the fol- 

 lowing children : Anna Maria, born June 27, 

 1824, died October 9. 1867; married Will- 

 iam Van ^larter, November 27, 1844; 

 Mercy A., born January 26, 1826, mar- 

 ried, October 7, 1846, Jacob C. Phillips, 

 now a retired grain dealer of Somer- 

 ville, New Jersejs Susanna D.. born 

 March iS, 1828, married, Januarj- 30, 



