HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



671 



In politics he adheres to the Republican 

 party. He is a member and trustee of 

 the Thompson Memorial Presbyterian 

 Church. Mr. Van Hart married, March 

 4, 1896, Sarah W., daughter of Andrew 

 and Florence (Worstellj Wiley, of iNew 

 Hope, and they have one child, Leroy S. 



WASHINGTON O. CROUTHAMEL, 

 the proprietor of the Ottoway House, 

 Buckingham, was born in Bedmmster 

 township, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, 

 February 22, 1848, and is of German de- 

 scent, his parents, Jacob S. and Carolme 

 (Ott) Croutham&l, both natives of Bed- 

 minster, being descendants of two of the 

 -oldest families in 'that township, their 

 ancestors having been among the hrst 

 settlers in that township prior to 1750. 



^Ir. Crouthamel has had a somewhat 

 itinerant career in his native county, as 

 salesman, merchant and hotel keeper. At 

 the age of fourteen years he began his 

 mercantile career as a clerk in a coun- 

 try store in Tinicum township, where he 

 remained three years. After a year at 

 A.pplebachsville he accepted a position in 

 the hat store of William Jacoby, in Phil- 

 adelphia. Two years later he entered the 

 large mercantile establishment of Jonas 

 D. Moyer & Co., at Dublin, where he re- 

 mained two years. After two and a half 

 years in the store of William Detweiler, 

 at New Galena (now Levin), and a year 

 at Perkasie he accepted a responsible po- 

 sition with Reuben H. Delp, at Church 

 Hill, who at that time opened a store in 

 connection with his tannery at that place. 

 After three years with Mr. Delp he en- 

 tered into partnership with Henry Rob- 

 inson, the genial auctioneer, and opened 

 a store at Line Lexington under the firm 

 name of H. Robinson & Co., which con- 

 tinued for two years, when he sold out 

 his interest in the firm and opened a 

 store at New Galena, where he conducted 

 a successful business for three years, 

 after which he conducted a store at New 

 Britain Station for eighteen months, and 

 returned to New Galena for another two 

 years. He then sold out his store and 

 becam'e a salesman in the store of E. M. 

 Armstrong, at Doylestown, remaining 

 with Mr. Armstrong's successor. J. A. 

 Linn, for one year, and then entering the 

 large store of A. F. & O. R. Scheetz. In 

 1886 he was a traveling salesman for 

 Reeves, Parvin & Co., wholesale grocers, 

 and the following year entered the em- 

 ploy of A. S. Heelyer & Son, at Doyles- 

 town, where he remained for ten years. 

 After conducting a store in the Thomp- 

 son building, Doylestown, for one year 

 "he purchased the Buckingham Hotel, 

 which he conducted for two and a half 

 years, when he returned to Doylestown 

 and purchased the stock of the Lenape 

 Hat and Gents' Furnishing Store, and 

 conducted it for eighteen months, when 



he purchased the Gardenville Hotel. Two 

 years later he again purchased his pres- 

 ent hotel, and has remained there since. 

 Mr. Crouthamel was a popular and suc- 

 cessful salesman, and in his many and 

 varied ventures has always enjoyed the 

 confidence of the people with whom he 

 came in contact. 



Mr. Crouthamel was married on Feb- 

 ruary 13, 1873, to Mary A. Myers, of 

 Dublin, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, and 

 to this marriage were born six children, 

 three of whom survive: Harvey K.; Will- 

 iam J\I., married to ■Martha ]\Iay Ridge ; 

 and Edward M. Mr. Crouthamel and 

 his family are members of the Lutheran 

 church. In politics he and his sons are 

 Democrats. 



ROBERT L. BALDERSTON. Among 

 the best-known citizens of Bucks county 

 must be numbered Robert L. Balderston, 

 of Upper Maketield township. The fam- 

 ily is of English origin, and for several 

 generations has been resident in Bucks 

 county. John Balderston was a farmer 

 of Upper Maketield township, and mar- 

 ried Phoebe Longshore. Their son 

 David was born May 13, 1815, in Make- 

 field township, where during the years 

 of his life he was engaged in farming. 

 After his retirement he moved to Dol- 

 ington, where he lived for ten years, and 

 in 1879 went to Newtown, where he lived 

 for the remainder of his life. He mar- 

 ried Hannah ^Margerum, of German de- 

 scent, and they were the parents of seven 

 children, of whom six survive: Rebecca, 

 who married Edward Hicks; Phoebe, 

 who became the wife of Edward Carter; 

 Sarah Ann, who is the wife of Eli Over- 

 holt; David J., a resident of Northamp- 

 ton township; Franklin, who lives in 

 Philadelphia; and Robert L., mentioned 

 at length hereinafter. By a second mar- 

 riage Air. Balderston was the father of 

 two children, Ellen, and j\Iary A., de- 

 ceased. The death of Air. Balderston 

 occurred December 27. 1892. 



Robert L. Balderston, son of David 

 and Hannah (Margerum) Balderston, 

 was born March 28, 1850, in Falls town- 

 ship, Bucks county, and received his edu- 

 cation in the public schools. At the age 

 of twentj'-one he accepted a position in 

 the store of W. Godey Ellis, at Doling- 

 ton, where he remained five years. At 

 the end of that time he opened a store 

 for himslf at Brownsburg, which he con- 

 ducted for five years more. He then re- 

 moved his stock to Dolington, and has ever 

 since been recognized as the leading mer- 

 chant of that place. In the autumn of 1884 

 he was appointed postmaster at Dolington, 

 an office which he filled with the greatest 

 credit to himself and the most complete 

 satisfaction to the government. In poli- 

 tics he is a supporter and advocate of the 

 principles of the Republican party. Mr. 

 Balderston married, February 27, 1879, 



