508 



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 



Thompson, George, came a passenger 

 on hoard of the ship Welcome, in com- 

 pany with the Proprietary, in 1682, and 

 at first settled on rented land in Concord 

 township, but subsequently became the 

 owner of land in that township. George 

 Thompson was not in membership with 

 Friends. In 1683, he was married to 

 Merriam Short, by the Swedish Priest, 

 " contrary to the laws of the province," 

 for which offence all the parties to the 

 marriage were arraigned before the 

 Court. 



TuEGO, Peter, was probably a resi- 

 dent in some other place in tbe country, 

 before he made a purchase of fifty acres 

 of land in 1708, in Middletown, for 

 "£14, or good merchantable wheat at 

 market price." His wife's name was 

 Judith, and he had a son Jacob, and a 

 son Peter. Jacob was born in 1687, 

 and in 17 10, married Mary the daughter 

 of Edmund Cartledge of Darby, and 

 resided in Merion till 1717, when he 

 removed to Middletown, where he re- 

 sided at the time of his decease in 

 1720. He left three children, Hannah, 

 John and Rachel. , 



Tucker, Richard, migrated from 

 Warminster, Count}- of Wilts, England, 

 in 1683, and settled in Darby township 

 west of the Creek. He was in mem- 

 bership with Friends. 



Usher, Thomas, the first Sheriff of 

 Chester County, arrived at Chester at 

 or about the time of the first visit of 

 William Penn to the Province, and 

 probably resided at that place during 

 his official term, one year. Having 

 purchased land adjoining Chichester, 

 (Marcus Hook,) he removed to that 

 place, was commissioned a Justice of 

 the Peace, and assisted in holding the 

 County Courts, and also served a second 

 term as sheriff, and was a member of 

 the Provincial Assembly several years. 

 He was a member of the Society of 

 Friends, but did not take such an active 

 part in meeting affairs as was usual 

 in that day, for men of his standing. 

 He died about the year 1690. 



Van Kulin, John, an early Dutch 

 settler in that part of Ridley known as 

 Amesland. Ilis cleposition was read 

 in the celebrateil Pennsylvania Witch- 

 trial ; his neighborhood being the 



scene of the occurrences which gave 

 rise to it. George Van Kulin, doubt- 

 less his son was residing in the same 

 neighborhood in 1722. His descen- 

 dants are numerous, but the name is 

 changed to Culin. 



Van Leer, Dr. Berxhard, was the 

 son of John George, and Mary Von 

 Lbhr, who were the ancestors of the 

 Vanleer family in Pennsylvania, and 

 who with their family migrated to that 

 Province from Germany in 1697. The 

 subject of this notice was born at or 

 near Isenberg, in the Electorate of 

 Hesse, and was but eleven years of 

 age when he arrived in this country. 

 The family upon their arrival set- 

 tled in Marple tOAvnship ; at first on the 

 farm now owned by Felix Velotte, but 

 subsequently on that owned by the heirs 

 of Garrett Williamson. Bernhard or 

 Beruhaidus, as he was then called, re- 

 mained a few years with his father 

 and then returned to Germany for the 

 purpose of studying medicine in his 

 native country. It is said that he was 

 accompanied by a neighboring youth, 

 named John Worrell, who had the 

 same object in view. Young Van Leer 

 remained in his native country seven 

 years, and not only studied medicine 

 but also the classics and French. Some 

 time after his return to this country, 

 and shortly after he commenced the 

 practice of his profession, he was united 

 in marriage with Jlary Branson the 

 daughter of a wealthy merchant of 

 Philadelphia. The Doctor then resided 

 on the latter of the above mentioned 

 farms, where he continued to reside 

 during the remainder of his long life. 

 After giving birth to five children, (two 

 ofwhom, Branson and Benjamin became 

 physicians,) his wife died. His second 

 wife was much younger than himself. 

 By her he had nine children, one of 

 whom was the late Bernard Van Leer. 



The practice of Dr. Van Leer, was 

 chiefly conducted in his office. It is 

 said that in the diagnosis of disease he 

 relied very much upon the appearance 

 of some of the secretions that were 

 brought to him for inspection. His 

 remedies for the most part were from 

 the vegetable kingdom and generally 

 of the mildest kind. 



Dr. Van Leer was a man of great 

 physical vigor. In his one huudreth year, 

 he rode on horseback from Marple to 



