HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



557 



entered the store of George W. Metlar, 

 at Doylestown, as clerk, and a year later 

 accepted a position in the store of Henry 

 Beidler at Lansdale. An indoor life 

 proving detrimental to his health, he was 

 advised by his physician to seek an out- 

 door occupation, and, returning to Bucks 

 county, he worked on the farm of his 

 uncle, Simon Brooks, at Rushland, for 

 one year. On December 25, 1886, he 

 married Carrie K. Atkinson, daughter of 

 Abraham and Hannah (Kepler) Atkin- 

 son, of Buckingham, and the following 

 spring located on his father-in-law's lot 

 near the Roller flour mill then operated 

 by E. B. Cox, and drove the mill team 

 for five years, since which time he has 

 followed farming. In 1893 he purchased 

 the J. Comly Kirk farm in lower Buck- 

 ingham, and still resides there, his wife'^ 

 father, Abraham Atkinson, residing with 

 him, Mrs. Atkinson being deceased. Mr. 

 Clayton was reared in the Friends' faith, 

 and attends their meeting. In politics 

 he is a Republican. Mr. and Mrs. Clay- 

 ton are the parents of four children: 

 Edward, born May 7, 1888; Frank W., 

 born March 12, 1891; Harry P., born July 

 25, 1897; and Roland N., born November 

 20, 1899. 



HUGH BOYLE WEBSTER, a native of 

 Bucks county, Pennsylvania, and who dur- 

 ing a lono- and active life has borne a most 

 useful part in the community among whom 

 his years have been passed, is ,an honored 

 representative of a family which has been 

 identified with the great commonwealth of 

 Pennsylvania from the earliest days. His 

 immigrant ancestor was John Gilbert 

 Webster, who came from England in 1682 

 to escape persecution visited ugon him and 

 his co-religionists, and to make their homes 

 in a land where they might worship God 

 after the dictates of their own conscience. 

 (See Gilbert Family). 



Hugh Boyle Webster was born in Ben- 

 salem township, December 29, 1838. son of 

 Jesse Gilbert (5) and Sarah (Williams) 

 Webster ; a grandson of David and Eliza- 

 beth (Gilbert) Webster in the paternal line; 

 and of Joshua (4)- and Mary (Ran- 

 dall) Gilbert in the maternal line; 

 a great-grandson of Benjamin (3) and 

 Sarah (Mason) Gilbert; a great-great- 

 grandson of Joseph (2) and Rachel 

 (Livezey) Gilbert ; and a great-great-great- 

 grandson of John Gilbert (i) the immi- 

 grant. 



Jesse Gilbert Webster was born and 

 reared in Montgomery county, and was the 

 youngest in a family of seven children, six 

 of whom came to maturity, and all of 

 whom he outlived. He settled in Bucks 

 county in 1825, engaged in farming, and 

 during his later years was an auctioneer. 

 He was a man of liberal education, ex- 

 cellent character and pronounced public 

 spirit. For fifteen years he was a justice 

 of the peace, a school director for a like 



period, and served one term as county com- 

 missioner. He was a man of most humane 

 disposition and strong convictions, and 

 these traits found exhibition in his earnest 

 labors in opposition to slavery and his 

 zealous conduct in aiding in the operation 

 of "the underground railroad" — the route 

 traversed by the fugitive slave in his flight 

 towards a land of freedom. His wife was 

 Sarah Williams, a daughter of Terrell 

 Williams, of Frankford, Philadelphia coun- 

 ty. She was of English descent and was 

 brought up in the Society of Friends. Jesse 

 Gilbert and Sarah (Williams) Webster 

 were the parents of six children : i. Isa- 

 bella, born December .27, 1830, widow of 

 William Hillbourn (mentioned elsewhere in 

 this work). 2. Tacy, born August 10, 1834, 

 died February 3, 1838; 3. Pemberton, 

 born April 17, 1836, died Aug- 

 ust 23, 1867; 4. Hugh B., the immediate 

 subject of this sketch; 5. Elizabeth Emma, 

 born May 29, 1841, died July 30, 1842; 6. 

 Milton, born March 13, 1844. 



Hugh Boyle Webster, fourth child in the 

 last named family, was brought up upon the 

 paternal farm in Bensalem township, where 

 he also received his education. After leav- 

 ing school he remained on the home farm 

 for two years, and then went to Blooming- 

 ton, Illinois, where he remained for a year. 

 In 1857 he returned to Hulmeville and en- 

 gaged in the butchering business, which he 

 followed industriously and successfully for 

 the long period of twenty-seven years. He 

 had meantime purchased considerable real 

 estate, both agricultural and residential, and 

 added to his means by breeding high grade 

 cows and rearing fancy poultry. His pub- 

 lic services were in the capacity of mem- 

 ber of the borough council of Hulmeville, 

 and director of the poor, for one term in 

 the former office and for three in the latter. 

 He was reared in the Society of Friends, 

 to which he has consistently adhered 

 throughout his life. He is a Republican, 

 and cast his first presidential vote for Abra- 

 ham Lincoln. As a member of the state 

 militia he was sworn into, the service of 

 the United States, July i, 1863, with Com- 

 pany G, Forty-third Pennsylvania Regiment, 

 and was discharged August 13, following. 

 He would have been engaged in the battle 

 of Gettysburg had it lasted a few days 

 longer. He is an old member of Neshaminy 

 Lodge, No. 422. I. O. O. F., and has passed 

 all the chairs in that body. He has ever 

 been regarded with confidence and esteem, 

 and known as a safe and sympathetic ad- 

 viser to the young. 



Mr. Webster took for his wue, Febru- 

 ary 22, 1876, Sarah Eliza Maitland, of Sads- 

 bury township, Chester county, Pennsyl- 

 vania, a daughter of Richard Hoskins and 

 Rachel (Marsh) Maitland. and a grand- 

 daughter of James Grier. Of this marriage 

 were born three children: i. Jesse Gilbert, 

 born April 18, 1879 ; he was educated in the 

 public schools ; he married May Flowers 

 Hibbs, of Middletown township, daughter 

 of Samuel H. and Hannah Flowers, and 



