562 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



lican. He married December 5, 1896, Lizzie 

 Nungcsser, daughter of Jacob Nungesser, 

 of Perkasie. 



ABRAM K. SLACK, a retired farmer 

 residing in Lower Makefield, traces his an- 

 cestry back to an early epoch in the settle- 

 ment of Bucks county. Of Holland lineage, 

 his ancestors upon their arrival from the old 

 world located in Lower Makefield town- 

 ship, the progenitor of the family in Amer- 

 ica being Abraham Slack, w'ho was born 

 ■^ in Holland in 1722 and crossed the Atlantic 



' in 1750. Cornelius Slack, his son, and the 

 grandfather of Abram K. Slack, was born, 

 lived and died in Bucks county, and 

 throughout his entire life followed farm- 

 ing. He held membership in the Presby- 

 terian chtirch of Newtown, Pennsylvania. 

 His children were: John; Benjamin; 

 Abraham ; Aaron ; Cornelius, who married 

 Eliza Brown; Joshua; Ann, who became 

 the wife of Wesley Stackhouse ; Sarah, 

 wife of Amos Johnson; Mary, wife of 

 Isaiah Balderston; and Rachel, wife of 

 Charles Young. 



Abraham Slack, son of Cornelius Slack, 

 was born near Yardley, Pennsylvania, in 

 1794, and in early life became familiar with 

 the labors of the farm, which occupied his 

 attention throughout his remaining days. 

 He, too, belonged to the Presbyterian 

 church of Newtown, and his influence was 

 a potent element for good in the com- 

 munity. He married Frances Gurtin, and 

 they became the parents of eight children : 

 Washington, who died in infancy: Aaron, 

 who died in early manhood ; Samuel and 

 James, also deceased; Abram Kinsey, of 



~~ this review; Mary Ann, wife of Cyrus 

 Slack; Elizabeth, wife of James Haines-; 

 and Sarah, wife of Joseph Moon. 



Abram K. Slack, born at the ancestral 

 home in Upper Makefield township, in 

 April, 1828, is indebted to the public-school 

 system of Bucks county for the educational 

 privileges he enjoyed. He assisted his 

 father in the cultivation of the fields 

 through the months of summer, and after 

 leaving school gave his entire attention to 

 the further improvement of the home farm 

 until twenty-five years of age, when he en- 

 tered upon an independent business career 

 by renting the old Kirkbright farm, upon 

 w'hich he lived for ten years. He then re- 

 moved to the George Justice farm, where he 

 spent another decade, and on the expiration 

 of that period, because of the careful hus- 

 banding of his resources, he was enabled 

 to nurchase the farm upon which he now 

 resides. For many years he was a most 

 active and able representative of agricul- 

 tural interests in Bucks county, making 

 steady advance in keeping with the progress 

 displayed along agricultural lines. The 

 years added to his income, and in 1889. 

 with a comfortable competence, he retired 

 from Inisines-s life and is now enjoying a 

 well earned rest. Since age gave to him 

 the right of franchise he has supported 



the Democratic party, and has held the 

 office of school director for three years in 

 Lower Makefield township, but has never 

 sought political preferment, desiring to 

 concentrate his energies upon his business 

 affairs, wherein he has gained creditable 

 success. ' 



Mr. Slack married Miss Caroline Cad- 

 wallader, a daughter of Jacob and Mary 

 Cadwallader, and they became the parents 

 of seven children : Mary Emma, the de- 

 ceased wife of Henry Path; William, who 

 occupies a position in the Mechanics' Bank, 

 of Trenton, New Jersey; Morris; Cryus ; 

 J. Cadwallader, also of the Mechanics' Bank 

 of Trenton; Flora, who died in childhood; 

 and Anna, wife of Abram Beekman Con- 

 over, of Chicago, Illinois. 



DAVID HOWELL. The members of 

 the Howell family have been residents 

 of Bucks county since the early part of 

 the eighteenth century. Timothy 

 Howell, who was born in this county, 

 August 7, 1762, became, in 1812, the 

 owner of a fine farm of one hundred and 

 forty-three acres in Lower Makefield 

 township. This is still in possession of 

 the family, being now the property of 

 his granddaughter, Mrs. Mary E. Ely. 

 He continued his farming operations 

 there up to the time of his death, July 

 29, 1831, when the property was di- 

 vided between his two sons, John and 

 David. In early manhood he married, 

 and had two sons, Levi and Asher. He 

 afterward wedded Rebecca Margerum, 

 and they had six children: John, who 

 was born July 29, 1803, and married 

 Elizabeth Richardson; David, born De- 

 cember 17, 1804; Sarah, born March 25, 

 1807, and became the wife of Mr. Fen- 

 ton, and after his death married Lewis 

 Moore; Mary, born August 10, 1809, and 

 died September 17. 1836; Susan, born 

 June ID, 1813, and married Mr. Hoag- 

 land, and after his death became the w'ife 

 of John Temple ; and Martha, born July 

 3, 1815. and married Samuel G. Slack. 



David Howell, second son of Timothy 

 Howell, remained upon the homestead 

 farm until fifty years of age. In 1855 

 he purchased from the' George Yardley 

 estate a tract of land bordering on the 

 Delaware river, and resided there until 

 his life's labors were ended in death, Au- 

 gust 2. 1864. He was a prominent 

 farmer, enterprising and progressive, and 

 his personal traits of character com- 

 .manded the respect of all with whom he 

 was associated. He married Harriet I. 

 Sandoz, who died August 6.. 1899, a 

 daughter of Francis and Mary E. 

 (Schmit) Sandoz. the former a native 

 of France, and the latter of Germany. 

 Her parents settled in Philadelphia in 

 1795- David and Harriet I. Howell be- 

 came the parents of seven daughters: 

 Mary E., Ellen A., who died in child- 



