HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



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August 25, 1877, Susanna, daughter of 

 Henry Bergy, of Franconia township, Mont- 

 gomery county, and the following children 

 have been born to them : Annie, who mar- 

 ried George Albright; Sallie, who is the 

 wife of Irvin Cline; Samuel B.; and 

 Florence. 



HENRY HUNSBERGER SOUDER, 

 proprietor of the Bush House, of Quaker- 

 town, and one of the prominent and influ- 

 ■ential residents of this part of the county, 

 was born July 4, 1849, at Souderton, in 

 Montgomery county, which place was named 

 in honor of his family. His parents were 

 Henry and Hanna Hansberger Souder. 

 The family has been identified with this 

 state from the earliest period of its de- 

 velopment, an ancestor of our subject hav- 

 ing been one of the Germantown colony 

 that settled that place under the Penns. 

 Christopher Souder, the grandfather of 

 Henry H. Souder, was born March 24, 

 1777, in Philadelphia county, Pennsylvania, 

 and settled at what is now Souderton, 

 Montgomery county, where he acquired a 

 considerable tract of land, and devoted his 

 energies to agricultural pursuits. He was 

 married June 8, 1803, to' Elizabeth Ober- 

 holzer, who was born January 18, 1782, 

 and their children were as follows : Joseph, 

 born March i, 1804; Maria, November 19, 

 1805; Henry, September i, 1807; Catherine, 

 November 15, 1809; Samuel, March 23, 

 1811 ; Anna, January 6, 1815; Christian and 

 Johann, twins, July 3, 1817; Enos, April 

 \ 1819; and Elizabeth, January 20, 1824. 



Henry Souder, son of Christopher Sou- 

 der, was born September i, 1807, at Sou- 

 -derton, Pennsylvania, and died August 28, 

 1897, at that place. His parents were farm- 

 ing people and were among the early set- 

 tlers of that locality, having taken up their 

 abode there before Montgomery county 

 was organized. Henry Souder made the 

 best use of his educational opportunities, 

 tut his advantages in that direction were 

 limited. However, his experience and ob- 

 servation in later years added largely to his 

 knowledge and made him an enterprising 

 and successful business man. Following 

 his marriage he settled at Souderton, where 

 he had previously learned the carpenter's 

 trade and eventually became one of the most 

 prosperous builders of his day in that lo- 

 •cality. Saving his money, he soon estab- 

 lished a coal and lumber yard and became 

 one of the principal business men in the 

 northern part of Montgomery county. His 

 political support was given to the Whig 

 party, and later he endorsed the principles 

 of the Republican party, but took little 

 active interest in politics as an office seeker. 

 He held membership in the old Mennonite 

 church. He was married November 2, 

 1834, to Hannah Hunsberger, who was 

 torn October 11, 1814, and died at Souder- 

 ton August 25, 1898. They were the pa- 

 rents of nine children : William, born 

 September 19, 1835; Edmund, April 27, 



1838 ; Elizabeth, January 30, 1841 ; Maria, 

 November 7, 1845 ; Frederick, August 2j, 

 1846; Henry, July 4, 1849; Catherine Ann, 

 December 21, 1851; Ellis, August 11, 1858; 

 and Milton, July 12, 1S63. Four other chil- 

 dren died in early life. 



Henry H. Souder was the sixth in this 

 family of thirteen children. In his early 

 years he attended a private German school 

 conducted by a Mr. Gehman, and was also 

 a student in the public school of his dis- 

 trict until his twentieth year. In the mean- 

 time, during the periods of vacation, he 

 found plenty to do, for his father did not 

 believe in letting young people remain 

 idle. He himself was a man of great en- 

 ergy, and had large business interests, in- 

 cluding a general store, a sawmill, and a 

 coal and lumber yard. He likewise dealt 

 in hay and grain, and his son Henry largely 

 assisted him in these various lines of busi- 

 ness activitj'. He remained at home in his 

 father's employ until twenty-two years ot 

 age when, desiring to enter upon an inde- 

 pendent business career, he formed a con- 

 nection with his sister's husband, Henry 

 Hemsing, at Souderton, where they con- 

 ducted a planing mill. Following his mar- 

 riage he began his domestic life at Souder- 

 ton, where he continued to engage in busi- 

 ness, prospering in his milling enterprise. 

 In 1876 he embarked in the coal trade, and 

 in the meantime extended the field of his 

 operations by becoming a general contractor 

 and builder. His business in that line be- 

 came very extensive in Montgomery and 

 Bucks counties, and for a number of years 

 he was recognized as one of the leading 

 representatives of the commercial and in- 

 dustrial life in this part of the state. Pub- 

 lic affairs have also felt the stimulus of his 

 efforts, and, while conducting his business 

 interests, he likewise became actively con- 

 nected with measures for the general w'el- 

 fare. He is a stalwart Republican and has 

 done much for the welfare of his party, yet 

 has never sought or desired the honors and 

 emoluments of public office for himself. 

 In the fall of 1884 he purchased the Bush 

 House, the leading hotel in Quakertown, 

 from William Bush, and took possession in. 

 the spring of 1885. He has since conducted 

 this hostelry and has been as successful 

 as a hotel proprietor as he was in his 

 former business ventures at Souderton, 

 He has made extensive improvements in 

 the property by enlarging the house, making 

 a stone addition, crowned by an observa- 

 tion tower. He has also beautified the in- 

 terior with appropriate decorations, and is 

 regarded as one of the leading hotel men 

 of this part of the state. He has also built 

 Souder's Block, the principal business 

 block of the town, likewise Citizens' Hall, 

 which is the principal lodge hall and place 

 of entertainment in Quakertown. He is 

 largely interested in real estate holdings, 

 and is one of the proprietors of Lulu Park 

 and of the baseball grounds. He is a char- 

 ter member and vice-president of the Mer- 

 chants' National Bank. Mr. Souder be- 



