HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



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the party. At the formation of the Repub- 

 lican party he joined the ranks of its fol- 

 lowers and labored diligently and untiringly 

 for its success. In the fall of i860, a pe- 

 riod of great political excitement through- 

 out the country, Mr. Thatcher, at the earnest 

 solicitation of his fellow townsmen, be- 

 came a candidate for the office of prothon- 

 otary, and was elected in that victorious 

 campaign of the Republican party with Lin- 

 coln at its head. Mr. Thatcher's victory 

 was more gratifying than the majority of the 

 candidates, for out of a strongly Demo- 

 cratic district he received a majority of 

 over one-third of the voting population, 

 which demonstrates in some part the popu- 

 larity and esteem in which he was held by 

 his fellow-citizens. He discharged the du- 

 ties of his position of responsibility and 

 trust with the greatest credit and efficiency. 

 In the spring of 1861 Mr. Thatcher removed 

 to Doylestown, where he remained for three 

 years. In 1864 he again turned his attention 

 to agricultural pursuits, for which occupa- 

 tion he had a strong liking. At the death 

 of his mother he purchased the place, com- 

 prising seventy-three acres of land, at the 

 settlement of the estate, and he was engaged 

 in the conduct of the same until 1871. 



In 1871 Samuel B. Thatcher received the 

 appointment of assistant United States 

 revenue assessor, and when that office was 

 abolished became deputy collector of in- 

 ternal revenue under Colonel James Ash- 

 worth, of Philadelphia, who was later suc- 

 ceeded by J\Ir. Elliott, during President 

 Grant's administration. Mr. Thatcher 

 served a term of tw^elve years as collector, 

 acquitting himself with honor. He again 

 returned to farming, in which he was at- 

 tended with considerable success. Later, in 

 a district which was Democratic three to 

 one, he was elected justice of the peace, 

 serving one term of five years, and in 1884 

 received the distinction at 'the hands of the 

 Republican party of being made one of the 

 thirty-two presidential electors of his state. 

 It is said that Mr. Thatcher has been an 

 attendant of every county convention, either 

 Whig or Republican, between the years 

 1844 and 1902. 



.Mr. Thatcher was the originator and first 

 president of the Tohickon Live Stock In- 

 surance Company, and served as its head 

 for over thirty years. He was also one of 

 the organizers and directors of the Quaker- 

 town National Bank. Besides his varied 

 business interests, he takes a deep and 

 active interest in educational affairs, and 

 served eighteen years as school director, and 

 was secretary of the school board seventeen 

 years. He also served as a delegate to the 

 Republican State convention that nominated 

 Generals Geary, Hartranft and Beaver for 

 governors. 



Mr. Thatcher's career as a man of public 

 affairs has been unusually eventful and one 

 of marked success. He is pre-eminently a 

 self-made man. Starting in life with few 

 advantages, he has with a tenacity of pur- 

 pose, lasting determination and earnest de- 



sire to make something of his life, reached 

 the top rung in the ladder of prosperity and 

 success. In 1889, ^s a mark of respect and 

 acknowledgment of his worth and public 

 servises, a postoffice was created at the gen- 

 eral store near his home, and at the sug- 

 gestion of Mr. James Shelly, postmaster at 

 Richlandtown, and many others, the new 

 postoffice was named "Thatcher." 



February 24, 1855, Samuel B. Thatcher 

 was united in marriage to Miss D<:borah 

 Shelly, who was born in 1833, the daughter 

 of David and Elizabeth (Clemmer) Shelly, 

 who resided near Sellersville, Bucks county^ 

 Pennsylvania. The issue of this union were 

 four children, as follows: i. Charles, born 

 December 2, 1855, married Ellen Mayers, 

 daughter of Franklin and Elizabeth Mayers, 

 and the following named children were born 

 to them: Frank; Samuel, deceased; Harri- 

 son ; Mark. 2. Katharine, born November 

 II, 1857, married William, son of Peter H. 

 and Mary (Sames) Lewis, farmers of Hay- 

 cock township ; 3. David, born September 

 30, i860, died May 12, 1871 ; 4. Samuel B., 

 born August 15, 1867, died December 25, 

 1882. The parents of these children, Mr. 

 and Mrs. Samuel B. Thatcher, celebrated 

 the fiftieth anniversary of their marriage, 

 February 24, 1905. The numerous messages 

 of congratulation, and visits from friends 

 and neighbors, far and near, attested the re- 

 gard and esteem in which they are held in 

 Jthe community. Mr. Thatcher and his 

 family are members of the Flatland Men- 

 nonite church, near Quakertown, Pennsyl- 

 vania. 



WASHINGTON CADWALLADER, 

 a prominent farmer, descended from an 

 honored early family of Bucks county, 

 was born August 7, 1871, on the old fam- 

 ily homestead near Warrington, where 

 he yet resides. The Cadwallader family- 

 had its origin in Wales and was planted 

 on American soil during colonial days. 

 The first settlers here, who were the pa- 

 rents of John Cadwallader, lived at vari- 

 ous places in the east and eventually be- 

 came farming people of Horsham town- 

 ship, ^Montgomery county, Pennsylvania. 

 They were consistent members of the 

 Hicksite branch of the Friends' meeting. 

 Their son, John Cadwallader, the father 

 of Benjamin Cadwallader, was born in 

 Montgomery county and was reared in 

 Horsham township under the strict in- 

 fluence of the Friends' Society to the 

 faith of which he always closely adhered. 

 He made farming his life work and after 

 his marriage settled in Horsham town- 

 ship, where he remained tintil after the 

 birth of all of his children. Subsequently 

 he purchased a large tract of land in 

 Buckingham township, Bucks county, 

 made splendid improvements thereon 

 and became a very prominent, success- 

 ful and influential farmer of his locality. 

 In his later life he divided his property 



