Biographical Sketch of John Henry BUCKWALTER (1893); Chester County, PA

Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by John Morris <jMcDmorris@comcast.net>.

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Source: "Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Chester County, Penn-
sylvania, comprising a historical sketch of the county," by Samuel T.
Wiley and edited by Winfield Scott Garner, Gresham Publishing Company,
Philadelphia, PA, 1893, pp. 862-3.

"JOHN HENRY BUCKWALTER, ex-treasurer of Chester county, and a repre-
sentative farmer and business man of the Schuylkill valley, is a son
of Samuel and Mary (High) Buckwalter, and was born on the farm on
which he now resides in Charlestown township, Chester county, Pennsyl-
vania, July 25, 1837.  He grew to manhood on the farm where he has
always resided and which he has owned for over a quarter of a century.
He received his education in the common schools and Professor Honsack's
academy at Freeland, Montgomery county.  Leaving school he turned his
attention to agricultural pursuits, in which he has been successfully
engaged ever since.  His farm contains one hundred and fifty acres of
choice land, which is well improved and in a high state of cultivation.
While successful in grain and stock-raising, he gives considerable
attention to grass, and makes a specialty of hay baling, in which line
of business he averages annually ten thousand tons of baled hay.  He
also operates a steam grain thresher, and does a large amount of custom
work in the eastern and northeastern part of the county.

"John H. Buckwalter married Anna J. Baker, daughter of Dilworth and
Hannah Baker, of Schuylkill township.  Mr. and Mrs. Buckwalter have
seven children, five sons and two daughters: Mary, now the wife of H. R.
Vanderslice, a machinist in the employ of the Phoenix Iron Company, and
now a resident of Schuylkill township; Samuel, now in the employ of the
railroad company; James, married Anna Megs, and is railroad station
agent at Douglasville, this county; Charles, who married Vina Sailor,
and is a farmer of Schuylkill township; Carrie, now engaged in the
millinery business at Spring City; John H., who is in the United States
railway postal service, and runs between New York city and Pittsburg,
this State; and Winfield R., at home.

"The Buckwalter family is one of the old, prominent and highly respected
families of Chester county and the Schuylkill valley, and was founded
by two brothers who fled from Germany on account of religious persecu-
tions during the latter part of the seventeenth century.  They purchased,
direct from William Penn, a tract of two thousand acres of land on the
west side of the Schuylkill, and extending up to the line of the great
Welsh purchase on the west.  They wrote their name Bockwalter, but it
became Anglicised into Buckwalter.  They became members of the Mennonite
church after coming to this country.

"John Buckwalter, a grandson of one of these brothers, was the great-
grandfather of the subject of this sketch.  He was a farmer and distiller
by occupation, and served in the Revolutionary war.  His distillery was
on the farm now owned by his grandson, John H. Buckwalter.  On this farm
was made the first improvement by one of the two brothers who founded
the family in the county, and on it was located a hospital for some time
during the revolution.  John Buckwalter married and reared a family of
four children: Jacob, John, Henry and Elizabeth Kingle.

"John Buckwalter (grandfather), the second son, was born September 4,
1777, and in early life removed to East Nantmeal township, where he died
in 1819, aged forty-nine years.  He was a farmer and distiller, and a
member of St. Matthew's church, to which he was a liberal contributor.
On July 27, 1800, he married Mary Bechtel, who was born in 1775.  They
had six children: Samuel, John, Elizabeth Wynne, David, Henry and James.

"Samuel Buckwalter (father), was born May 6, 1801, and died in February,
1869, aged sixty-eight years.  He was a farmer by occupation, and a man
of intelligence and good judgment.  At eighteen years of age Samuel Buck-
walter assumed control and management of the farm which he afterward
purchased.  He was an enthusiastic whig, had held the offices of super-
visor and school director of Charlestown township, but would never
accept any county office, and was one of those who, in the presidential
campaign of 1840, moved on rollers the historic Harrison log cabin from
his farm to Lancaster city.  He was a Mennonite, and married Mary High.
To their union was born two sons and three daughters: Charles, John H.
(subject), Mary E. Davis, Mrs. Robinson and Carrie E.

"John H. Buckwalter is a stanch republican, and in 1877 was nominated
by his party for county treasurer, being elected and serving for three
years.  He is a liberal and generous man, an honest and honorable busi-
ness man, and an intelligent and respected citizen."