Biles Family Tradition
from an undated notebook written by
Marian Elizabeth Biles
“We have all heard about family traditions. Here’s a little one about us covering nine generations.
My grandfather said that his grandfather told him that his grandfather was a descendant of one of the original Biles on the Delaware River.
There are many interesting records of these first two Biles brothers. There’s a ship’s log and an early census telling that they came from Dorchester in England, on a ship, the “Elizabeth and Sarah” in 1679. That was several years before William Penn arrived here. They were among the first fifteen or twenty settlers on the Pennsylvania side of the river. The big new Fairless Steel Plant is not located on some of their lands. Biles Island is still on the maps of Philadelphia and vicinity.
This William Biles was a Quaker minister, and he also kept a store. He built one of the first brick houses in this area, and these old brick houses were fine ones, just like the colonial ones we now see. He held many public offices; he was Treasurer of Bucks County for a number of years. At one time he was overseer of the roads or “way” as it was called. The way was to be “a cleaned path, ten feet wide, with all stumps cut level with the ground so a horse would not stumble and with all miry places filled in.”
The sons and grandsons of these two Biles spread out in every direction. Several went to Virginia. Two or three pushed on up the Delaware. Many were dismissed from their church for taking active part in the French and Indian and the Revolutionary Wars, and for marriage outside their faith. We soon find their records among those of all the surrounding churches.
Our Henry Biles was among the ones who went on up the Delaware River into the wilderness of Northampton County (now Monroe County). He had been a recruiting officer during the Revolution. He joined the Reformed Dutch Church at Middle Smithfield in 1787, where the Quicks, the Depues, the Winans, the Places, and the Bunnels, all early names in our family, were members. At that time there was no other church near there. It soon grew away from the old Dutch ways, with the strong demand for English services. And it was reorganized in 1815 as a Presbyterian Church, with the same officers and members. This church is small and attractive – well kept and active today. You can visit there.
Henry Biles was born February 29, 1748. He was said to be a large and jovial man – well educated and well to do. He was a farmer and also kept a small still. He educated his seven sons well. They soon all went west – 3 to the new Louisiana Territory; 2 to Fort Pitt, near Pittsburg; and 2 came up here to Bradford County. That’s us. These two Biles brothers who came here married Place sisters, Rosannah and Rebecca.
Robert Biles was a weaver by trade. Alexander Biles was a printer. He [Alexander] taught school also, and established a homestead – Uncle Duke’s place.
Alexander P. Biles married Rosannah Place and had 14 children. Among them [are these, and their affiliated families]:
John: some Biles at Towanda plus the Bostwicks, the Thorps, and many I am learning now
Eleanor: her descendants include the Strunks, the Hobbies, the Heshals, King, and Campbells
Phoebe: the Baldwins, Slaters
James A.: Jim Biles of Camptown and the Blackwells
Jacop P. Biles: the Heaths, Ruberts [and many other close cousins of mine]
Lewis: the Diaments, Dotters, Hillis’s
Betsy: the Camps
Robert Biles married Rebecca Place. He only live about 6 years after coming up to the Meshoppen area, and had five children. Many of the Towanda Biles people are his descendants. Harry Biles of his [Robert’s] son, Miner. Mrs. Simpson of his son, Henry.
One of Robert’s sons ran away, so there was one Bradford County Biles we will not know about.”