Purpose

• To gain a better appreciation of the early families of Northampton Township, Bucks Co., PA
• To discover inter-family ties
• (please add profiles)

Get your bearings with this circa 1830 map that has a few of the old place names.

Early Settlement and Population

~• a short summary:

• Part One
• Part Two
• Settlers included:
  
  • 1682 Thomas Walmsley
  • William Buckman, Arthur Cook (justice of 1689)
  • John Pennington (1250 acre tract)
  • English Settlers include: Nicholas Waln, Christopher Taylor, William Pickering, Edmund Desmond, Thomas Rowland, Joab Howle, William Plumly'', the Bennetts. The last were in Long Island first.
  • Dutch Settlers include: Corson'', Wyncoop, Cornell, Van Horn, Kroesen
• "In 1761 Northampton contained one hundred and thirteen taxables. In 1784 it had seven hundred and twenty-two white inhabitants, ninety-one blacks, and one hundred and eight dwellings. In 1810 the population was 1,411; 1830, 1,151 inhabitants and 311 taxables; 1840, 1,694; 1850, 1,843; 1860, 2,048; and 1870, 1,896, of which 111 were of foreign-birth[; 1880, 1,768; 1890, 2,049; 1900, 1,522. *] The area is fourteen thousand three hundred and eighty acres." ~• From THE HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA: CHAPTER XXI: NORTHAMPTON, 1722 from the discovery of the Delaware to the present time by W. W. H. Davis, A.M., 1876 and 1905 editions..
  • In 1784 that population count was 722 (white), 91 (black) in 108 dwellings and 106 other buildings.14,380 acres of land. = (c. 133 acres per dwelling).
    
  • See the list of property holders below... It involved extended families and can be characterized as relatively low number for such a large township.
• see also Southampton settlement

~• note that many were land owners and participant in the Quaker communities and County seat across the Neshaminy < The project detailing Middletown Meeting should be consulted.

Unusual Place Names in Northampton of Long Ago

~• from MacReynolds, first published in 1942

• Addisville
• Black Bear (see Richboro)
• Bull Town
• Chinquapin
• Churchville
  • aka Smoketown
• Hogtown (see White House)
• Holland
  • formerly Finney's Mill; aka Rocks Hill
• Iron Works Creek
  • The Northern section is now the Churchville Reservoir
• Edge Hill
  • * aka Rocks Hill (on maps)
• Playwicki now Playwicki Farm Park
  • "Simon Van Artsdalen and six generations in same family"
• Richboro
  • aka Bear, Black Bear (for the tavern at this crossroads
• Rush Valley
• Slack Creek
• White House

Largest Northampton Landholders of the 1780s and a few other surnames of interest from other times

each use of this bird indicates where there is a farm (or another agriculturally based business) that had slaves in 1786.
acres/slaves ; multiple entries on one line means additional households under the same surname.
Of the 24 or so families that owned 200 acres or more: These held over 10,000 acres. That is 70% of the total acreage in the whole township (!)

• So many of the large land-holder families were connected by marriage.
  • In the final analysis, relatively few families controlled nearly the entire countryside.
    • Do the arithmetic: Total acreage owned = 14,380 vs. 10,000+ in 200 or more acreage category
    • 108 dwellings, 50 of which held circa 10,000 acres. (200 acres a piece) This means the other 58 held circa 4,000 (68 acres apiece)
• Sketches of the early Northampton families are to be found at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/pa/bucks/history/local/davis/davis21.txt

18th century Alpha list

~• with example individuals of surnames for easy access to the GENi World Family Tree

• Addis 200 acres.....................................................................................................................................1 - 200
• Atkinson
• Beans
• Bennet 286/2 ; 201/2 ; 180/1 ; 140/0 ; 175/0 ; 50/0 ; c.300/0.......6 - 1,152 = 4 slaves
  • William Bennett of Northampton had a dau. who married a <CRAVEN>
• Blaker 125 ; 125 ; 125 ; 125 .............................................................................................................. 5 - 500
• Bnail (sic) 95 ..................................................................................................................................... 1 - 95
• Buckman 158 .................................................................................................................................... 1 - 158
• Carter (grist mill 1786) 55 ................................................................................................................. 1 - 55
• Chapman 176 ................................................................................................................................... 1 - 176
• Childs (Cephas Childs was an original settler)
• Coffing
  • COFFING, JACOB, Senior, Northampton. October 9, 1732. 1.175. (Will abstract)
• Cook
• Cooper 170 ; 145 ; 100 ..................................................................................................................... 3 - 415
• Cornell 125/5 ; 260 /3 ; 248/1 ; 144/0 ; 75/0 ; 20/0........................ 6 - 872 = 9 slaves
• Corson 135 ; 135 ; 100 ........................................................................................................................ 3 - 370
  • Benjamin Corssen, II married a <SUYDAM>
• Craven ( Rev. John Craven married a <VAN HORN> (Tryntije, who was born in Northampton)
• Croasdale 42 ....................................................................................................................................... 1 - 42
• Cummings 150 .................................................................................................................................... 1 - 150
• Desmond
• Dougherty 100 ..................................................................................................................................... 1 - 100
• Dubois 130/1.................................................................................... 1 - 130
  • Rev. Jonathan DuBois married a <WYNKOOP>
• Dungan 50/0 ; 206/2 ; 206/0 ; 196/0 ; 196/1 ; 194/1 ....................... 6 - 1,048 = 4 slaves
  • Jeremiah Dungan
• Dunn
  • DUNN, RALPH Northampton Twp. May 1, 1727. 1.99 (will abstract)
• Dyer 100 ; 150 ; 200 ............................................................................................................................. 3 - 450
  • Edward Dyer (born circa 1732)
• Eddams 211/2 .................................................................................. 1 - 211
• Evans
  • EVANS, JOHN Northampton Twp. November 12, 1737. 1.241. (will abstract)
• Eastburn 100 ........................................................................................................................................ 1 - 100
• Feaster 202/1 ................................................................................... 1 - 202
  • John Ludwig Feaster
• Fenton 130/1 .................................................................................... 1 - 130
  • various Fentons are buried in Churchville
• Gilkey 50 (is this actually Gilkeson?) ................................................................................................. 1 - 50
• Gregg = pew holder in Addisville
• Hagerman 16 ; 100 ; 50 ; 50 ; 50 ........................................................................................................ 5 - 266
  • Hendrick Adriaensen Hegeman (1714- ) married a Van Horn
• Harrise (sic) 133 .................................................................................................................................. 1 - 133
• Hayhurst 250 ....................................................................................................................................... 1 - 250
  • Cuthbert Hayhurst, III was the settler
• Hibbs 130 ............................................................................................................................................ 1 - 130
• Howle
• Huston 209/1.................................................................................... 1 - 209
• Knowles 160 ........................................................................................................................................ 1 - 160
  • Knowles, Jo. pew #2 LDRC Addisville 1789
• Kroesen 130/2 ; 60/0 ; 310/2 .......................................................... 3 - 500 = 4 slaves
  • Francis Kroesen (died 1756) = one of the founders of the township
• Leffertson 400/4 ............................................................................. 1 - 400
  • Leffert Lefferts
• Leedom 312/2 ................................................................................ 1 - 312
• Linnberry 59/1 ................................................................................ 1 - 59
• Linton 150 ........................................................................................................................................... 1 - 150
  • Joseph Linton
• Lott 250 ............................................................................................................................................... 1 - 150
• Maycomber 80 .................................................................................................................................... 1 - 80
• Palmer 160 ......................................................................................................................................... 1 - 160
• Parsons 95/1 ; 87/0 ........................................................................ 2 - 182
  • Robert Parsons, Sr. died Dec. 1760 in Northampton = Robert Parsons
• Paxson 97 and sawmill ....................................................................................................................... 1 - 97
  • William Paxson owned the sawmill and these 97 acres c. 1781
  • Thomas Paxton (sic) and Sarah his wife were among the early communicants of the LDRC in the region (1724)
• John Pennington
• Pickering
• Plumley - John Plumlee, Jr. 214 ........................................................................................................................................ 1 - 214
  • John Plumley's grand daughter woulds later marry James Roberts, a grand son of the 90 acre John Roberts farm below.
  • Three young Plumly siblings all married at the Churchville LRDC between Aug. 1761 & Apr. 1762 (under the name of Plummer) this obscuring accurate genealogy. See: Hinkle's Transcription
• Praul
  • Peter Praul , born circa 1717
  • Joshua Praul held pew in Addisville 1789
• Rich
• Rickison (sp?) 183 ; 74 ; 100 .............................................................................................................. 3 - 357
• Ridge
• Roberts - pew holder in Addisville .......................................... 1 -90
• Rowland
• Saxton, Joseph m. Phebe Roberts
• Shaw 164 ........................................................................................................................................... 1 - 164
  • John Shaw of Northampton
• Spencer 100 ; 200 ............................................................................................................................. 2 - 300
• Stockdale
  • William Stockdale was a petitioner for the formation of the township.
• Strickland
  • STRICKLAND, JOSEPH Northampton Twp. June 13, 1737. 1.235. (will abstract)
• Suydam (of Long Island) {although you will not see this surname in evidence much, several near <SUYDAM> family members married into Northampton families... Such as https://www.geni.com/people/Leffert-Lefferts/6000000004058995082''
• Taylor
• Thompson 210 grist mill .................................................................................................................... 1 - 210
• Thornton 307/1 ............................................................................. 1 - 307
• Tombs 450/3 ................................................................................. 1 - 450 = 3 slaves
• Twining 189 ; 72 ................................................................................................................................ 2 - 261
• Van Arsdalen 166/0 ; 250/1 .......................................................... 2 - 416
  • Else Vanarsdalen
  • Simon Janse Van Arsdalen
• Van Horn 65/0 ; 150/1 .................................................................. 2 - 315
  • Edmond Roberts of Northampton was married to Jane Van Horn in 1732 and Jane Jannetje had a sister Tryntje who married a <CRAVEN>
• Van Pelt
  • see: Sarah van Horne
  • Joseph?, Cathren (sic) p. 1429 of 2629
• Van Sant 164 .................................................................................................................................... 1 - 164
  • Garret Van Sant of Churchville
• vanderGrift (vandergriff / vandergrist)
  • http://vandegriftsearch.com/bucks-county-pennsylvania/
• vanderVenter 61 ............................................................................................................................... 1 - 61
• Walmsley Henry Walmsley of West Riding, Yorkshire (primarily Southampton township)
• Waln
• Whitten
  • WHITTEN, STEPHEN Northampton. April 23, 1728. 1.95. (will abstract)
• Worthington 32 ................................................................................................................................ 1 - 32
• Wynkoop 500/7 ; 246/1............................................................... 2 - 746 = 8 slaves
  • findagrave & wikipedia for Judge Henry Wynkoop, US Congress
    • Henry Wynkoop (March 2, 1737 – March 25, 1816) was a member of the Continental Congress (from 1779) and later a United States Representative for the state of Pennsylvania during the First United States Congress, 1789 to 1791.

Churches

• The Dutch who had migrated from early settlements of New Netherland established themselves with large properties and a the so-called Lower Dutch Reformed Church (LDRC): Churchville, Addisville... having originally been at Neshaminy Creek "Sammeny"
  • Seating arrangement at Addisville circa 1789 can be accessed legibly at ancestry dot com
• Presbyterian congregations: Hartsville
• Quaker Meetings were mostly held in nearby townships of Middletown, Newtown, and Bensalem
• Baptist
• Episcopal (at Bristol)

Findagrave cemeteries

• "Feaster cemetery
• Old Reformed Church Graveyard, Feasterville, Southampton (just over the township line of Northampton
• Low Dutch Reformed Church Cemetery: Also known as Addisville Reformed Church Cemetery
• Union cemetery (first interment in 1855)
  • see also: http://www.unioncemetery.info/Find-A-Grave.html
• Bridgetown Pike cemetery (no longer in existence) ~•Note on cemeteries: Several obscure cemeteries are on these old maps. In some cases remains were moved and reburied when larger burial grounds were opened.
  

~• also: Two cemeteries mix members of many of the families: the Old Reformed Church Graveyard, Feasterville & the Addisvillle Low Dutch Reformed Church Cemetery

Maps

• Thomas Holmes' map of 1681 > note: many early grantees never occupied Northampton parcels grated by William Penn. The long title of this map is A map of the improved part of the Province of Pennsilvania in America : begun by Wil. Penn, Proprietary & Governour thereof anno 1681 • Map of the Province of Pennsilvania containing the three countyes of Chester, Philadelphia & Bucks
• from key
  
  • 1850
  • 1857
• Library of Congress: circa 1830
  • Note key in upper right corner: Even in 1830, there were very few taxables and the population was low: 311 taxables; 1521 population
• Northampton 1878

Mysteries

1. Swartz's Turning Mill on the Neshaminy : see the Bridgeton area (left bank on the 1850 map
2. Abandoned cemetery? near modern1067 Bridgetown Pike, Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania (see 1850 map {above})
3. Remaining farms
   1. Churchville Farm, 404 Holland Road, Holland, PA

• Unknown grave yard: Warminster Pennsylvania 18974 40.227161, -75.096974 It is by Old York Road in Hartsville

1. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/bucks008/?name=_roberts...
2. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/54006475/elizabeth-roberts
3. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/53722810/john-roberts

Sources

• William J. Hinke (1938 transcription of early LDRC records on ancestry
• Neshaminy Creek
• 1850 Map of Bucks County
• maps circa 2018
• current street names circa 2018
• https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/1987576/old-reformed-church-gra...
• North and Southampton Churchyard
  • Also known as Churchville Cemetery, Dutch Reformed Cemetery
  • 1380 Bristol Road, Churchville
• name eqivalents in Dutch and English
• a short summary of the early years Davis - History of Bucks Co. see pages around Page 360
• Low Dutch Reformed Church Cemetery • Also known as Addisville Reformed Church Cemetery LOCATION 945 Second Street Pike, Richboro, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 18954 ~• as of 2019 it is only 47% photographed < many more historical figures of the 18th century are doubtless buried there
  • https://www.addisville.org/about/history.cfm
  • The original one acre triangular-shaped lot was purchased as a graveyard in 1751, according to Supervisor Frank O’Donnell. The following year, in 1752, the Low Dutch Reformed Church was built on the lot and the first burial was held at the cemetery in either 1772 or 1774 with the final burial taking place in 1889, according to O’Donnell.
• Addisville Church records
• http://thegenproject.com/Mapping/Bucks_Unsorted_Wills.txt
• https://www.ustwp.org/township-government/board-commissions/histori... ("Sammeny" Dutch)
• https://www.livingplaces.com/PA/Bucks_County/Northampton_Township/C...
• Presbyterian Records on ancestry dot com
  • also earlier 1701-1746 at the 1st Presbyterian church of Philadelphia (has Bucks County mixed in)
    • vandergrift / Black / Searle / Kroesen
• History of Neshaminy Presbyterian Church of Warwick, Hartsville, Bucks County, Pa by Douglas Kellogg Turner; Culbertson & Bache, printers, 1876 - Hartsville (Pa.) - 370 pages
  • the early Presbyterian Church at the forks of the Neshaminy went up c. 1727 and was replaced in the mid 1780s (see pages beginning at 148)
• Davis on Northampton
• Davis on Southampton
• Northampton Company August 1775 = patriots of the Revolution from Northampton (William Hart Davis)
• The most legible (1876) W.H. Davis text with illustrations: http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/bucksp/davistoc.htm

Originator's Notes

The Dutch portion of the population was served by the church of "Bensalem" and "Sammeny" (the north and Southampton Reformed Church), which was founded by the Rev. Paulus Van Vlecq in 1710. It was the first Reformed Church to be organized in Pennsylvania.