djT. 



m STORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



Josephine A., daughter of Azariah and 

 Julia A. (Connard) Matthews, of Sole- 

 bury township. Mr. and Mrs. Balderstcrn 

 have one son, William Ernest, who holds 

 a position in his father's store, and he 

 married, June 17, 1903, Dora J. Kitchin. 



BENJAMIN MALONE WORTH- 

 INGTON, deceased, for many years one 

 of the widely known and highly re- 

 spected citizens of Hulmeville, Bucks 

 county, whose active career was well 

 worthy of emulation, was born March 

 19, 1S37, a son of Amos Subers and Har- 

 riet (Paxson) Worthington, and grand- 

 son of Asa Worthington, who were pros- 

 perous and progressive agriculturists of 

 Bucks covmty. 



Benjamin M. Worthington passed his 

 boyhood days on the home farm, and 

 his educational advantages were acquired 

 in the public schools of Northampton 

 township. Being thus inured to the ar- 

 duous and varied duties of farm life, he 

 was able to give his father competent 

 assistance and he remained with him 

 until he attained his majority. He then 

 located in Hulmeville, Bucks county, 

 where for almost a quarter of a century 

 he conducted the Hulmeville Hotel in 

 such a manner as to show a substantial 

 profit at the end of each year. After this 

 long period of service he disposed of his 

 property, and the following year lived in 

 retirement at Newtown. He then be- 

 came the proprietor of the celebrated 

 Anchor Hotel, which he conducted one 

 year and then disposed of, after which 

 he purchased a hotel in Tullytown, which 

 he also conducted for one year and then 

 sold. He then returned to Hulmeville, 

 purchased a comfortable residence, and 

 resided therein until his decease, April 

 25, 1901. As a citizen Mr. Worthington 

 was ever earnest, alert and conscientious, 

 keenly alive to everything which con- 

 cerned in any way the wellbeing of his 

 town and county. He was a Republican 

 in politics. 



Mr. Worthington married. February 

 IS, 1865, Amy Worthington, of Byberry, 

 now Philadelphia, daughter of Walton 

 and Cynthia (Tomlinson) Worthington, 

 the former named having been a son of 

 John and Sarah (Walton) Worthington. 

 and the latter a daughter of Amos and 

 Sarah (Doane) Tomlinson. Their chil- 

 dren are: Florence, born February 12, 

 1868, became the wife of Henry Harri- 

 son Brown, of Oxford Valley, Novem- 

 ber 5, 1890, and they are the parents of 

 one child, Russell Worthington Brown, 

 born at Hulmeville, February 9. 1902. 

 Russell, born September 18. 1876. died 

 January 25, 1877. Mr. and Mrs. W^orth- 

 ington were reared in the faith of the 

 Friends, and their religious affiliations 

 were with that body. 



JOSEPH B. WALTER, M. D., who 

 for thirty-six years has been engaged in 

 the practice of his profession m Sole- 

 bury, was born in Plumstead township, 

 Bucks county, on the 30th of August, 

 1840. His paternal grandfather, Michael 

 Walter, whose ancestors were residents 

 of Alsace, Germany, became one of the 

 early settlers of Plumstead township, 

 where he followed the occupation of 

 farming and also took an active and 

 helpful part in public affairs. He served 

 for a number of years as justice of the 

 peace. His son, John Walter, was born 

 in Pluiristead township and in early life 

 learned the carpenter's trade, being for 

 many years identified with building pur- 

 suits. He married Miss Mary Beek, 

 daughter of Samuel Beck, a resident 

 ' farmer of Plumstead township. They 

 had five children: Catherine, Joseph B., 

 Levi, Silas and Emma. 



Dr. Joseph B. Walter resided with his 

 parents in Plumstead township until 

 about eight or nine years of age, when, 

 on his mother's death, he was taken into 

 the family of his maternal uncle, William 

 Beek, residing in Doylestown. He was 

 there educated in the private schools 

 conducted by S. A. Thompson and Dr. 

 S. M. Andrews, and also attended the 

 public schools of Doylestown, while sub- 

 sequently he became a student at Kisha- 

 coquillas Seminary, in Mifflin county, and 

 in the boarding school of Rev. M. S. 

 Holford, of Beverly, New Jersey. In 

 1859 he entered upon the profession of 

 teaching, and his leisure hours during 

 this period were devoted to the study of 

 medicine under the direction of Dr. I. S. 

 Moyer. He taught in the public schools 

 of Durham, Warrington and Northamp- 

 ton and Southampton townships, but in 

 1862 put aside his professional duties to 

 enter active military service. In the 

 month of August of that year he en- 

 listed for a term of nine months as a 

 member of Company E, One Hundred 

 and Twentj^-second Regiment Pennsyl- 

 vania Volunteers, and was mustered out 

 in May, 1863. He taught school for a 

 few months at Richboro, Northampton 

 township, and then re-enlisted in the 

 One Hundred and Fifty-second Pennsyl- 

 vania Infantry. He was stationed dur- 

 ing the greater part of the time at 

 headquarters in Virginia and North Car- 

 olina, until mustered out at the close of 

 hostilities. He was promoted to the 

 rank of third sergeant, and on the ist of 

 September, 1865, was commissioned sec- 

 ond lieutenant, but declined the office. 

 He participated in the battles of Freder- 

 icksburg, Chancellorsville, Appomattox 

 and minor engagements. Immediately 

 following his return to civil life, Dr. 

 Walter took up the study of medicine 

 under Dr. I. S. MoA^er, then of Plum- 

 steadville, and in 1866 entered the medi- 

 cal department of the Universit}' of 

 Pennsylvania. He was graduated in the 



