HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY 



703 



and settled on the old homestead in Nocka- 

 mixon township. He died in 1796, leaving 

 a widow and three small children ; his will 

 speaks of one son Michael, and two daugh- 

 ters, one of which must have died in child- 

 hood, as no further mention is made of her. 

 The other daughter Elizabeth grew to 

 womanhood and married Joseph Raisner; 

 they settled in New Jersey near Lambert- 

 ville, and had one daughter, who married 

 . Carnelious Arnett, of Lambertville, New 

 "jersey. Michael Grouse, Jr., born January 

 22, 1793, was the father of the writer of 

 this sketch; he was only three years old 

 when his father, Conrad Crouse, died. He 

 learned the mason trade and was educated 

 in English and German. He taught school 

 for many years, it being required in those 

 days to teach both languages in the schools 

 of the upper districts of Bucks county. He 

 was constable of. the township for several 

 years, and held a lieutenant's commission 

 in the Pennsylvania militia. In 1820 he mar- 

 ried Sarah Cole, who was born December 

 5, 1797. She was the daughter of Tunis 

 and Julia Cole, who lived in Holland, New 

 Jersey, and whose parents immigrated from 

 Holland many years before. Tunis Cole 

 was born February 6, 1754, and died Feb- 

 ruary 17, 1816. His wife, Julia, born Sep- 

 tember ID, 1762, died January 21, 1834. 



Michael Crouse, Jr., after his marriage, 

 settled on the old homestead. They had ten 

 children, five sons and five daughters, viz. : 

 Conrad F., Jacob W., Michael, Frederick, 

 and Andrew Jackson. Eliza, Elizabeth, 

 Sarah Ann, Catharine, and Hannah. 



The first son, Conrad F. Crouse, born 

 April 27, 1827, was a steam engineer by oc- 

 cupation. He was twice married; his first 

 wife was Julia Ann EUicott ; they had three 

 -children: Oscar, Warren, and Sallie. The 

 mother died September 7, 1858. His second 

 wife Caroline. Kerbaugh, to whom he was 

 married August 27, 1859, bore him five chil- 

 dren: John, JNIary, Lizzie, Alice and Cane. 

 The family then moved to ]\Iilnesville, 

 Luzerne county, Pennsylvania. During the 

 Civil war he served in the Forty-fifth Regi- 

 ment, Pennsylvania Mililia. He died June 

 S, 1901, in the seventy-fifth year of his age. 

 Eliza married Andrew Shaw, of Carvers- 

 ville, Bucks county. They had four chil- 

 dren: Charles, Sallie, Mary, and Ella. 

 Eliza Shaw died July 8, 1865. Elizabeth 

 Crouse, born December 14, 1823, married 

 Chapman Large, of DoyleStown, Pennsyl- 

 vania. They had four children : John, 

 ^Martha, Alice, and Fannie. Elizabeth died 

 July 15, 1891. 



Jacob W. Crouse, second son of Michael 

 Crouse, Jr., was born March 14, 1829; by 

 occupation he was a carpenter. He served 

 during the war for the Union in Company 

 F, One Hundred and Seventy-fourth Regi- 

 ment, Pennsylvania Volunteers. He mar- 

 ried Eliza Freeling in 1852 ; they had four 

 children: Annie S., who married B. Frank 

 Rapp ; Alice and Frederick W. died in child- 

 hood; and Clara; who married Lee Ott, of 

 Tinicum. Jacob W. Crouse settled in Uhler- 



town, and was a consistent member and 

 elder in the upper Tinicum Reformed 

 church. He died November 3, 1884. 



Sarah Ann Crouse, born July 13, 1831, 

 married Amos Smith, of Smith corner, 

 Plumstead township. They had nine chil- 

 dren, three of whom died in childhood, and 

 those who grew up were: Mary Ellen, 

 wife' of Israel Wismer. ^Michael, who mar- 

 ried Hannah Overholt and settled at Smith 

 Corner; he died in 1902. Alice, who mar- 

 ried Reuben Walters ; she died in 1896, leav- 

 ing one son, Austin Walters. Jacob Smith, 

 who married ^liss Anne Gearhart ; they 

 live at Ambler, Pennsylvania. Emma, who 

 married Samuel Lear. Kate, who married 

 John Nash. All live at Smith Corner. 



Michael Crouse, third son of Michael 

 Crouse, Jr., born July i, 1833, was accident- 

 ally drowned in the Delaware river, oppo- 

 site Burlington, New Jersey, September 24, 

 1843. 



Frederick Crouse, fourth son of Michael 

 Crouse, Jr., was born July 4, 1835. He 

 served his country during the great Civil 

 war as a member of Company C, One Hun- 

 dred and Twenty-eighth Regiment, Penn- 

 sylvania Volunteers; he was severely 

 wounded in the battle of Antietam, Mary- 

 land, September 17, 1862. He was by occu- 

 pation a telegraph operator, having opened 

 the first telegraph office at Riegelsville, New 

 Jersey, in 1864, serving fourteen years. 

 After being discharged from the United 

 States army in 1863 on account of wounds 

 received in battle, he was appointed by the 

 provost marshal of the Fifth ^Military' Dis- 

 trict as enrolling officer, and served as such 

 until the close of the war. In 1867 he was 

 appointed postmaster at Riegelsville, Penn- 

 sylvania, and managed the office with credit 

 to himself and satisfaction to the govern- 

 ment for seventeen years. In politics he is 

 a Republican, and in 1876 was a candidate 

 for the Pennsylvania legislature, but was de- 

 feated by a small majority, the county being 

 largely Democratic at that time. In 1868 

 he organized Fraternal Council, O. U. A. 

 ]M. He also organized the Riegelsville 

 Building & Loan Association in 1875. In 

 1857 he was initiated into Peace & Union 

 Lodge No. 456, I. O. O. F., under the juris- 

 diction of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania 

 of which he has been a working member for 

 forty-eight years. In 1882 he organized 

 Colonel Samuel Croasdale Post No. 256, 

 Department of Pennsylvania, Grand Army 

 of the Republic. He became a member of 

 St. Johns Reformed church, at Riegelsville, 

 in 1852, and became a resident of Riegels- 

 ville in 1853 and has resided there ever 

 since. He married Mary A. Kerbaugh. De- 

 cember 13, 1856; she was the daughter of 

 Josiah and ^Slaria Kerbaugh, of North- 

 ainpton county, Pennsylvania. They had 

 eight children, four of whom died in child- 

 hood. Those living are : Stewart C, 

 Clara. Gertrude, and Sallie May. Stewart 

 C. Crouse married Sallie S. Atkinson, 

 daughter of Jesse H. and [Martha Atkinson, 

 of Dolington, Bucks county. Three chil- 



