HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



693 



to the welfare of the community in which 

 he lived. In 1872, while a resident of Chi- 

 cago, during the administration of Joseph 

 E. Medill as mayor of the city. Mr. Bran- 

 son was the agent of the Humane Society 

 for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 

 and in that capacity caused the arrest and 

 prosecution of about 1,200 persons for 

 ■cruelty to dumb animals, in most of the 

 cases acting as both prosecutor and lawyer. 

 His zealous and efficient work in the prose- 

 cution of human brutes, made him a repu- 

 tation in the Humane Society, not only in 

 •Chicago, but all over the United States. 



In 1887 Mr. Branson located in Lang- 

 horne, Bucks county, where he Tias since 

 resided. He has been three times married. 

 His first wife, whom he married November 

 18, 1855, was Martha Evaline Ruby, and 

 they were the parents of three children: 

 Isadora C, born September 22, 1856 ; Edwin 

 Ruby Branson, born January 5, 1858; and 

 Sarah Eliza, born April 14, i860. His 

 second wife was Ida ]\Iary Clark, who bore 

 liim no children. He married (third) on 

 October 29, 1904, Jessie Gordon, widow of 

 the late Samuel Chapman of London, Eng- 

 land. She was born in Scotland, a daugh- 

 ter of John Gordon, of Elgin, Morayshire, 

 Scotland, and granddaughter of the late 

 I^aird Mortimer, of Morayshire. 



Isadora C. Branson, eldest daughter of 

 the subject of this sketch, married Novem- 

 ■ber 3, 1878, Thomas Hibbert of Chicago, 

 and their seven children are : i Eva May 

 Hibbert, inarried October 24, 1899, Oscar 

 Milne Parsons, of Philadelphia, and has 

 two children : Oscar IMilne, Jr., and Law- 

 ton Hibbert Parsons. 2. Lawton Edwin 

 Hibbert. 3. Ida May Hibbert. 4. Thomas 

 Hibbert, Jr. 5. Emily Grace Hibbert. 6. 

 James Hibbert. 7. Branson James Hibbert. 



Edwin Ruby Branson, only son of James 

 L. and Martha Evaline Branson, married 

 March 4, 1890. Marion Watson Dunham 

 and they are the parents of two children, 

 Edwina Ruby and Marion Adele. 



Sarah Eliza Branson married June 3, 

 1875, William S. Twitty, of Chicago, and 

 they were the parents of two children : 

 Alice Marietta, married November 30, 1897. 

 George S. Erisman, and has the following 

 children : Dorothy Edna, Natalie ^Madeline, 

 George Branson, and James Lawton Eris- 

 man. Edna Rubj- Twitty, the other child of 

 Sarah Eliza and William S. Twitty, mar- 

 ried October 11, 1900, Samuel C. Randall, 

 of Langhorne. .Sarah Eliza Twitty mar- 

 ried (second) September 4, 1882, Samuel 

 ■F. Robbins of Geneva Lake, Wisconsin, and 

 they are the parents of three children : 

 Mabel G., Edith R., and James B. Robbins. 



father upon the home farm until after his 

 marriage. In 1901 he purchased the old 

 Garges homestead, containing fifty-six and 

 a half acres of improved land, and hereon 

 he follows general farming, having placed 

 his fields under a high state of cultivation. 



On the 19th of January, 1899, Mr. Landis' 

 was married to Miss Bertha K. Hockman, 

 who was born in New Britain township, 

 Bucks county, August 16, 1879, her parents 

 being Christian and Amanda M. (Kulp) 

 Hockman. Her father was born in Bed- 

 minster township, September 29, 1845, and 

 was a son of Ulrey D. and Margaret 

 (Moyer) Hockman. To Mr. and Mrs. Lan- 

 dis have been born two children : Lillie 

 H., July 6, 1900; and Blanche H., July 6, 

 1902. The parents are members of the 

 Mcnnonite church, and politically Mr. 

 Landis is a Republican. 



JOHN M. LANDIS, who was born in 

 Hilltown township, Bucks county, Septem- 

 Tjer 25, 1876, is a son of George and Bar- 

 bara C. (Moyer) Landis. His education 

 was acquired at Huntsberger school, in 

 Hilltown township, and after putting aside 

 liis text books he continued to assist his 



ALBERT S. PAXSON, a farmer of 

 Southampton township, was born March 

 5. 1854, in Salem county. New Jersey. 

 His paternal grandparents, Charles and 

 Grace (Michener) Paxson, were the pa- 

 rents of the following children: Annie; 

 Sarah; John; Merritt, who married a 

 Miss Knight, and their children were 

 Sarah, Charles, Merritt, Mary, Susan, 

 Hannah, Amanda, Aaron, John H. and 

 Phineas. 



Phineas Paxson, youngest son of 

 Charles and Grace Paxson, married Re- 

 becca Tomlinson, and they had six chil- 

 dren, ^s follows: Emily A., who was 

 born April 12, 1851, and was married 

 October 8, 1873, to A. Taylor Praul, by 

 whom she had one son, Clarence T., 

 born December 31, 1876: Albert S.; John, 

 who married Sarah White: Augustus; 

 Ella: and Caroline. 



Albert S. Paxson, eldest son of Phin- 

 eas and Rebecca Paxson, spent a portion 

 of his younger years in Middletow'n and 

 afterwards in Southampton, Pennsj-1- 

 vania. He acquired his education in the 

 public schools and at the Friends' school 

 at Langhorne, and decided upon farm- 

 ing as a life work. He has since given 

 his attention to agricultural pursuits and 

 in 1878 he purchased the farm upon 

 w-hich he now resides, comprising ninety 

 acres. Previous to this time he farmed 

 for his father upon the old homestead, 

 and since starting upon an independent 

 business career he has met with a fair 

 measure of prosperity. On the 30th of 

 December, 1875. Albert S. Paxson mar- 

 ried Miss Josephine Bitting, daughter of 

 John R. and Hannah (Bartine) Bitting. 

 Her father was born January 29, 1826, 

 and now resides at Doj'lestown. His 

 daughter Josephine was born August 27, 

 1852. There were six children born of 

 the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Paxson: 

 John Phineas, who died three days after 

 birth : William Albert, who was born 

 September t8, 1878, and wedded INIary Tay- 

 lor, a daughter of Benjamin Taylor; Marv 



