HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



66: 



MILES FAMILY. Griffith Miles, the 

 progenitor of the family in America, was 

 born in 1670, in Wales. He married 

 Bridget Edwards, also from Wales, born 

 in 1672, daughter of Alexander and Catha- 

 rine Edwards. Their children were : Es- 

 ther, born 7 mo. 28, 1692; Martha, born 8 

 mo. 12, 1695 ; Margaret, born 2 mo. 9, 

 1698; Griffith, born 10 mo. 3, 1700; Samuel, 

 born 7 mo., 1703; John, born 2 mo. 28, 

 1709. 



Griffith Miles, sin of Griffith Miles and 

 Bridget Edwards, married Sarah, whose 

 maiden name is not known. Their children 

 were: Joseph, born September 17, 1722; 

 Anne, and Alartha. 



Joseph Miles, eldest child and only son 

 of Griffith and Sarah Miles, was born Sep- 

 tember 17, 1722, and died November 27, 

 1800. His wife, Annie (Nesmith) Miles, 

 born ?klay 18, 1732, bore him the following 

 children: Lucy, born December 27, 1750, 

 died February 11, 1751. Lydia, born Octo- 

 ber 7, 1752, died in August, 1841. Griffith, 

 born October 4, 1754. Margaret, born Au- 

 gust 20, 1756, died April 3, 1826. Joseph, 

 born December 5, 1758, died January 18, 

 1826. John, born February 6, 1761. Thomas 

 born January 2, 1762. Dorcas, born De- 

 cember 30, 1764. Samuel, born October 30, 

 1766, died September 6, 1849. Jacob, born 

 December 19, 1768, died August 23, 1822. 

 William, born March 7, 1771. Ann, born 

 August 4, 1776. 



Samuel Miles, fifth son of Joseph and 

 Annie (Nesmith) INIiles, was born in East 

 Pennypack, Moreland township, Pennsyl- 

 vania, October 30, 1766. He was a cabinet 

 maker by trade, and an active and public 

 spirited citizen. He was a very religious 

 man, and served as trustee of the Old 

 School Baptist church, which was succeeded 

 in 1832 by the New School Baptist church. 

 About the year 1801 he purchased a farm 

 consisting of one hundred and sixty-four 

 acres in Southampton township, near Davis- 

 ville, which was sold out of the family in 

 1873. He married Catherine Bennett, who 

 was born July 21, 1772, and their children 

 were : William Griffith, born February 19, 

 1798, died June 13, 1889. Ann Jones, born 

 October 29, 1799, died December 23, 1802. 

 Elizabeth Lydia, born November 5, 1801, 

 died August i, 1897. John Bennett, born 

 March 3, 1804, died April 20, 1869. Eras- 

 mus Nesmith, born August 2, 1806, died 

 May I, 1872. Samuel Madison, born Oc- 

 tober 18, 1809, died April 24, 1810. Mary 

 Bennett, born December 29, 1813, in South- 

 ampton township, near Davisville, on the 

 old Miles homestead, which is now occupied 

 by Stanley Saurman. She is the only sur- 

 viving member of the above named family, 

 and is now in her ninety-second year. 



William Griffith Miles, eldest son of 

 Samuel and Catherine (Bennett) Miles, 

 born February 19, 1798, died June 13, 1889. 

 His wife, Ellen Maria (Bennett) Miles, 

 whom he married November 24, 1825, was 

 born September 27, 1808, and died August 

 it 1857. Their children are as follows: 



Huldah Catharine, born December 23, 

 1826, died January 8, 1851. Julia, born 

 January 15, 1829, died November 20, 1866. 

 Ellen L., born November 27, 1831, died 

 Alarch 31, 1836. Mary Matilda, born March 

 17, 1834, died April 25, 1836. Amanda 

 Melvina, born March 3, 1840. Samuel, 

 born June 20, 1844, died July 4, 1844. 



WILLIAM H. PRICE, secretary of the 

 Line Lexington Mutual Fire Insurance 

 Company, and a veteran of the Civil war, 

 during which critical period in the history 

 of the nation he displayed his patriotism 

 by enlisting in Company G, Two Hundred 

 and Thirteenth Regiment, Pennsylvania 

 Volunteer Infantry, serving in the Army of 

 the Potomac, was born in New Britain 

 township, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, j\Iay 

 16, 1837, a son of John and Sarah (Svvort- 

 ly) Price, and grandson of Daniel Price, 

 who was a farmer by occupation, a resident 

 of Montgomery county, and a member of 

 the Dunkard church. 



John Price (father) was born near 

 Planes Meeting House, Montgomery coun- 

 ty, Pennsylvania, in 1799. He was reared 

 on his father's farm and in early life learned 

 the trade of mason. Being a man of more 

 than ordinary intelligence, and therefore 

 thoroughly qualified to serve in the capacity 

 of school teacher, he devoted his time and 

 attention for a number of years to that 

 vocation in the schools at Kulpsville, and 

 other places, and also conducted a boarding 

 school at Line Lexington for many years. 

 He then changed his place of residence to 

 New Britain township, Bucks county, set- 

 tled on a large farm, and established Price's 

 Boarding School, which he conducted suc- 

 cessfully, for more than thirty years. In 

 1842 he organized the Line Lexington Fire 

 Insurance Company, and up to the time of 

 his demise served as its secretary. He cast 

 his political vote with the Whig party until 

 the formation of the Republican part}', 

 after which he changed his allegiance to 

 that great organization. He held member- 

 ship in the Dunkard church. By his mar- 

 riage to Sarah Swortly, a daughter ot 

 Philip Swortly, a native of New Britain 

 township, five sons and three daughters 

 were born, namely: Philip, Daniel, Jona- 

 than, William H., George, Sarah, Lavinia, 

 and INIary. The surviving members of the 

 family at the present time (1905) are as 

 follows : William H., mentioned at length 

 hereinafter; Sarah, Lavinia and Mary. 

 After a long and honorable life, John Price 

 (father) died in 1886; his wife survived 

 him until 1888. 



William H. Price received his educa- 

 tional advantages in the school established 

 and conducted by.his father, and after com- 

 pleting his course of instruction accepted a 

 position as teacher, serving thus for almost 

 a quarter of a century. The success at- 

 tained in this vocation was the direct re- 

 sult of his capacity of imparting the knowl- 



