Warminster Pioneers

Warminster was one of the earliest townships settled and most of the land was taken up by 1684, according to Holmes map of that date, although much of it was the property of absentee owners.

A few families began to emerge above the indistinguishable mass of early settlers. In the Warminster boro area they were the Nobles, and later the Yerkes and Beans. In Johnsville, they were the Longstreths and the Harts, later the Cravens. Hartsville's early families were the Tennents, the Beatty's, the Darrah's, and later, another branch of the Hart family. There were so many and it is with a great deal of regret that it is not possible, in this little volume, to dwell at any length upon more than a few. John Hart, the first of that name in Warminster, came to Pennsylvania from Whitney in Oxfordshire, England in the fall of 1682, preceding Penn by a few months. On Oct. 11, 1681, he had purchased one thousand acres of the Proprietary for 20 pounds and, on his arrival, located 500 in Byberry and 500 in Warminster. In 1683, he married Susannab, daughter of his friend John Rush. Mr. Hart was at first a minister among Friends but later became a Baptist and, in this capacity, preached to a small congregation at John Swifts in Southampton, thus laying the foundation of the Southampton Baptist church. About 1695, Hart moved his family to his Warminster tract between Bristol and Street Rds., adjoining Johnsville where he died in 1714. The Harts were a prolific clan; John 2nd married Eleanor Grispin of Byberry in 1708 and had a family of ten children whose descendants Gen. Davis states, "-now (1876) number thousands and are found in all states south and west of Pennsylvania." Two of this ten reached positions of some distinction; Oliver, who studied theology under Wm. Tennent (2nd) at Freehold, N.J., and later became a famous Baptist minister in South Carolina; Joseph Hart became an officer in the Revolutionary army and was very active afterward in civil life. The family home of the Harts remained in the family for 170 years.

Bartholomew Longstreth was born in Longstrothdale, England, in 1679 and immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1698. In 1710, he bought 500 acres from Thomas Fairman in Warminster partially in what is now Johnsville, and built a log cabin for quarters. He married Ann Dawson, daughter of Hatboro's John Dawson, in 1727. Dawson was probably the first settler in Hatboro and it is said that Longstreth fell in love with Ann when he saw her carrying mortar and stone in her apron while helping her father build the Crooked Billet Inn. If this is correct, we don't wonder that Bartholomew was smitten on the spot; in those early days it took strong men to survive and prosper, and an equally strong partner in marriage for help and encouragement. Ann rode to the wedding at Horsham Meeting on a pillion behind her father and, after the wedding, climbed up behind her husband for the ride to her new home. No Niagara Falls or Bermuda at that day and age; honeymoons were for the very wealthy and there was immediate work that had to be done daily on a farm. This was not an era or place for "pantywaists" of either sex. In spite of his being 48 when he married, he managed to father eleven children during his remaining years. He was a township supervisor, and was responsible for opening the York Road from Hatboro to the Neshaminy in 1716.

Longstreth was also instrumental in the building of Newtown Road, from County Line to Bristol Road. At the time of his death in 1749, he owned 1000 acres which was divided among his children.

The old Longstreth home was owned by five generations of the family and, since it was first built, has undergone extensive alteration.

In connection with Mr. Longstreth's opening of the York Road, it is interesting to note that, according to information received from Mr. Wm. Pennebaker of Hartsville, most of the lands on and adjoining the present York Road were not taken up until after the road was opened in 1716. If this is correct, it could lead to an interesting puzzle; was there an open strip of land from Hatboro to the Neshaminy purposely set aside in the anticipation of the road to come, or did York Road simply follow a line of unclaimed ground which determined its eventual course? Mr. Pennebaker states that he can produce references to support his statement, even though some of the early maps are in contradiction.

Another anomaly in the course of history has been called to my attention, again by Mr. Pennebaker, who has done extensive research among the old records at both Philadelphia and Harrisburg. This one is in reference to the Noble tract. The histories seem to agree that Abel Noble was among the earliest of settlers in the township, being an original purchaser of land in Warminster. Davis History of Bucks County states that "-he owned 695 acres at the resurvey in 1702," and then goes on to say that the original Noble tract "lay on both sides of York Road." According to Mr. Pennebaker's information, this is incorrect, the original tract did not extend as far west as York Road and Able Noble increased his boundaries only after York Road was built. This is important to the historian in that it effects the probable date of several of the properties of uncertain vintage now facing York Road not to mention other phases of county history in which the Nobles were involved.

The Nobles are considered to be among the very earliest settlers in Bucks County. Richard Noble held a local office under the Duke of York in 1675. He was a surveyor and settled on a tract of land in Bristol Township above the mouth of the Neshaminy. Available sources do not state at what date his son Abel first came to Warminster though one informant claims it was 1684. This has yet to be authenticated. The boundaries of the original Noble purchase are left in doubt in the light of the aforementioned information, but we do know that Noble eventually owned 695 acres which extended on both sides of York Road, of which he conveyed 165 acres in 1743 to his son Joseph, who, in 1762, sold it, and a few more, to Harman Yerkes, the first of his family in Warminster. Abel, 2nd and Job Noble  were sons of the first Abel and, between them, still owned most of the original tract at this time.

Job's home was much later to become the Fireside Inn at the northeast corner of York Rd. and Beech St. The building burned down some years ago and is now the siteof a small shopping center. In 1734, Abel the first conveyed to Job Noble a house and 40 acres. He, in turn, transferred it to his daughter, whose married name was Gilbert. This house, located at the northwest corner of York Road and 5th Avenue, recently owned by Mr. Philip Reeves, is now an office building.

The Noble family burial ground is located high in the field back of, and slightly westward, of the Calvary Community Church on County Line between Madison Avenue and the Reading Railroad.

The Yerkes family has been one of the most constant in the history of the township, having been large landholders and farmers here for almost 190 years. It is interesting to note here just why it is that a prominent name dies out in a community. In the early times, sons were more or less expected to follow in the paths of their fathers and estates were divided among the sons. As an area grows, however, so does opportunity grow in surrounding areas and the sons of the family are lured to the greener grass, or to trades and professions more to their liking. In any one generation, if there is a predominance of daughters and the few sons decide to stretch their wings, the family name in that area must become extinct. The last of the Yerkes family in Warminster were Elizabeth and Louise Yerkes who owned the family homestead at Jacksonville and Street Roads. The two maiden ladies died in 1951 thus bringing to an end the name of Yerkes as large landholders in Warminster.

The story of these two ladies starts back in 1762 when Harman Yerkes bought 181 acres of the Noble tract on Street Road. He was the grandson of Herman - or Harman, as it was pronounced - who was the brother of Anthony Yerkes. The two brothers immigrated from Germany about 1700 and Anthony became burgess of Germantown in 1703. Our Warminster Harman (3rd) gradually increased his property until it included a large part of the Noble tract. It was later divided among his sons, Andrew and Harman, 4th.

The family spread across Warminster during the last century to become one of its "first families." In 1826, Elizabeth Yerkes married John Craven Beans. Mr. Beans was a member of another prominent family of the times.

Judge Harman Yerkes was admitted to the Bucks County bar in 1865 and was an eminent and highly respected president judge for many years. Clarissa Yerkes married Samuel Montanye, son of Thomas B., who was pastor of the Southampton Baptist Church. Most of the sons and daughters married locally in that day and we find certain local families of many different names having a common ancestor. Many of the middle names were the maternal family names, such as John Craven Beans, son of Thomas Beans and Christiana Craven. Many of the descendants of these families still live in and around Warminster although the day of the large land-owner is drawing to a close in a fast growing township.