5o6 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



fices. He was elected a justice of the peace 

 in 1897, and reelected in 1902. In politics 

 he is a Republican, and has served for some 

 years as a member of the county committee. 

 He married Rosa Stout, daughter of Aloses 

 and Mary Ann (Bishop) Stout. 



HON. HAMPTON W. RICE was born 

 in Solebury township, Bucks county, on the 

 old Rice homestead, March 24, 1844, the 

 son of Samuel H. and Ann (Livezeyj Rice, 

 both natives of that township. Jidward 

 Rice, ancestor of the Rice family of Bucks 

 county, was a native of the parish of Killa- 

 man, county Tyrone, Ireland, from whence 

 he emigrated to America, bringing with hnn 

 a certificate from the rector and church 

 wardens of the parish, dated June 12, 1736. 

 He settled in Buckingham, and on Decem- 

 ber 19, 1753, obtained a deed for 153 acres 

 of land on the old York road and the War- 

 wick line, comprising the present Edward 

 Swartz and Percy farms. He had probably 

 resided on this land some years previously. 

 It was part of a tract of 1,622 acres patented 

 to Thomas Mayleigh, and had been devised 

 to his son and heirs male in feetail, and 

 proceedings had been instituted to bar the 

 entail so as to make conveyances thereof 

 in fee, some years previously. Edward Rice 

 resided on this farm until his death in 1761. 

 His wife was Elizabeth . She mar- 

 ried Mathew Beans, 5 mo. 18, 1763, and 

 had two children — Aaron and Moses Beans 

 by this second marriage. She died in Buck- 

 ingham in 1814. The children of Edward 

 and Elizabeth Rice, were eight, viz. : 



I. James, born about 1742, died in War- 

 wick township, November 5, 1822, leaving 

 seven children : Jane, wife of Henry Wig- 

 gins ; Rebecca, wife of Henry Black ; John ; 

 James ; Phebe, wife of James Lukens ; Wil- 

 liam and Mary. James had removed to 

 Baltimore, Maryland, but returned to Bucks 

 county and settled in Warwick ten years 

 later. 2. John, born 1744, died on the home- 

 stead in Buckingham, October i, 1801, mar- 

 ried Rachel Worthington, August 24, 1765, 

 and had children : Mary, who married 

 Thomas Kirk; Edward, Elizabeth, Han- 

 nah, Ann, John and James. 3. Edward, 

 born 1747, married Martha Fell, and lived 

 in Plumstead. Children: Jonathan and 

 IMary. 4. George Rice, born 1749, married 

 Elinor, daughter of Robert and Jane 

 Skelton, of Buckingham, and had children : 

 Robert, Ann, Susanna, George, Sarah, 

 INIary, Moses, and Elias. George Rice and 

 his son Robert were wheelwrights and lived 

 in Plumstead. 5. Mary, born 1752, married 

 John Kinsey, 3 mo. 22,, 1774. 6. Joseph, 

 born 1754. 7. Thomas, born 1756. 8. Will- 

 iam, born 1758. 



Joseph, sixth child of Edward and Eliza- 

 beth Rice, was born in Buckingham in the 

 year 1754. He was very young when his 

 mother was married to Mathew Beans, and 

 his boyhood days were probably spent on 

 the old Beans farm, near the Solebury line, 



where Henry H. Beans now lives. He mar- 

 ried, 4 mo. 14, 1779, Letitia, daur-hter of 

 William and Catharine (Fisher) Hartley,, 

 of Solebury. He purchased of his wife's 

 uncle the farm on the state road in Sole- 

 bury, part of which is still owned and oc- 

 cupied by his descendants, and spent his 

 long life thereon, dying in November, 1848, 

 in his ninety-fourth year. His children 

 were: Catharine, born 1780, married Elias 

 Paxson; James, born 1785, died in' infancy; 

 William, born 4 mo. 30, 1782, died 1827; 

 Letitia, born 1788, married John Bodder ; 

 James, born 2 mo. 7, 1791, died young; and 

 Joseph, born 3 mo. 2, 1792. Letitia (Hart- 

 ley) Rice died 11 mo. 30, 1815. 



William Rice, eldest son of Joseph and 

 Letitia, born in Solebury, 4 mo. 30, 1782, 

 was devised by the will of his grandfather^ 

 William Hartley, a farm of 180 acres ad- 

 joining the one purchased by his father,, 

 the greater part of which is still owned by 

 the subject of this sketch, and, marrying 

 Sidney Hartley settled thereon. He died 

 when but forty-live years of a^e, in 1827. 

 His children were: Samuel H., father of the 

 subject of this sketch; Hiram, for many 

 years a prominent citizen of Buckingham, 

 died at Newtown ; Charles and Eliza. 



Samuel H. Rice, eldest son of William 

 and Sidney, was born on the old homestead 

 in Solebury in 1808. At his father's death 

 he assumed the management of the farm, 

 and two years later, he having arrived at 

 his majority, the farm was partitioned 

 through the orphans' court and he accepted 

 the homestead and 127 acres and spent the 

 remainder of his life thereon. He was an 

 auctioneer, and followed that vocation in 

 connection with farming. He was twice 

 married, his first wife being Euphemia, 

 daughter of John and Euphemia (Ingham) 

 Watson to which marriage two children 

 were born : Mary Ellen, now deceased, mar- 

 ried William M. Wharton ; and one who 

 died in childhood. He married (second) 

 Ann Livezey, daughter of Robert and Sarah 

 (Paxson) Livezey of Solebury, by whom 

 he had three children : Euphemia Ann and 

 Sarah L., both single, residing at Lahaska ; 

 and Hampton W., the subject of this sketch. 

 Samuel H. Rice died in June, 1879. 



Hampton W. Rice was born on the old 

 homestead, March 24, 1844, and was reared 

 to the life of a farmer, acquiring his edu- 

 cation at the public schools and at the 

 Excelsor Normal School at Carversville. 

 On attaining manhood he took charge of the 

 home farm, which he acquired at the death 

 of his father, and resided thereon until 

 1886, when he removed to Lumberton and 

 engaged in the manufacture of fertilizers. 

 In 1901 he sold out at Lumberton and re- 

 moved to his present residence at Centre 

 Hill, built by his uncle. Dr. Abraham 

 Liveze\', in 1850. 



In politics Mr. Rice was a Republican 

 and has always taken an active interest in 

 politics. In 1895 lie was elected a mem- 

 ber of the legislature, and was re-elected m 

 1897. In 1899 he was elected to the state 



