Benjamin Worthington and Lydia Ann Groom

Benjamin Worthington was born in 1813, the son of John Worthington and Sarah Walton. He grew up in Byberry, Philadelphia County. His parents had been disowned by Byberry Meeting for marrying contrary to Quaker discipline. Around 1838 Benjamin married Lydia Groom, daughter of Evan Groom and Rachel Randall. Evan Groom was a well-off farmer of Bensalem, Bucks County.

In 1848 Benjamin was keeping a store, probably in Southampton. They sold land there to Evan, adjoining other land Evan already owned along the Poquessing Creek. By 1850 Benjamin and Lydia were living in Bensalem, Bucks County, with four children.1 By 1860 they had moved to Moreland, and had another child.2 By 1870 they had moved again, to Warrington Township, Bucks County, with children Rebecca, William, and Rachel.3

Benjamin did not leave a will at the time of his death in 1876. His son Watson and widow Lydia renounced their right as administrators in favor of William Brunner and William E. Worthington, Watson’s younger brother. The inventory of the estate gives evidence that Benjamin kept a store. It included  canned fruit, a barrel of pickles, tin pans, canned tomatoes, benches, barrels, potatoes, a Buffalo robe, feathers, three bags of beans, onions, a shotgun, a hay wagon and ox cart, tools and plows, 500 bushels of corn, 100 bushels of oats, 125 dozen brooms, 15 pair of pigeons, 3 horses, 12 head of cows, a bull, and winter grain in the ground. The house and land was sold to John Rhoads for $7700. Expenses against the estate included $30.66 for marketing the brooms and $1817.59 for loss of an outstanding debt due from Watson Worthington.4

In 1880 Lydia was living in Cheltenham, Montgomery County, with her daughter Annie R. age 33, and in the same household as her son Emmor and his wife Tamsen. He was described as a huckster.5 In 1900 Lydia had moved to the Bustleton area, Philadelphia County, living with Emmor and Tamysen, and her daughter Rebecca. Emmor was listed as a gentleman, which seems to mean that he was retired.6 Emmor and Tamsen probably did not have any children. Lydia died in January of 1908, at the ripe age of 89. She was living on Bustleton Avenue in Somerton at the time and was buried at William Penn cemetery.7 She left a will, naming her brother Evan J. as executor, and leaving her property to her children Rebecca, Watson, Elmira, Emmor and Rachel.8

My grandmother Helen Worthington Tyson remembered Watson’s siblings. They were her great-uncle and great-aunts. She said that they were Quakers and used the old thee and thy speech.9 They may not have been members of a Quaker meeting, but they still kept the cultural tradition.

Children of Benjamin & Lydia:10

Watson, b. 1839, d. 1919, m. Elizabeth Cornell, daughter of Alfred Cornell and  Rebecca Jane Van Buskirk; Watson was buried at William Penn. Elizabeth was of Dutch heritage, from families who moved down from New York to Bucks County in the early 1700s, had their own church and cultural heritage and intermarried for several generations. Watson and Elizabeth first lived in Bucks County, then moved to Somerton, where Watson was a toll booth keeper on the Bustleton Pike for twenty-five years. Elizabeth died in 1906 and Watson moved in with his youngest daughter. Children: Harry, Benjamin F, Nellie, Edna May.11

Elmira, b. April 1840, d. Nov. 10, 1926, m. Franklin Tomlinson, lived in Somerton on Tomlinson Road. 12. In 1880 they were living in Philadelphia County where he was a farmer. Edward Worthington, age 73, and Elmira’s uncle, was living with them and working on the farm.13 The daughter Anna married Harry Chapell.14 In 1890 Franklin was dead and Elmira was the head of household. Anna and Harry were living with her. Frank died in 1898 (born 1836).15 They were buried at William Penn.16 Children of Elmira and Franklin: Ellsworth, Anna, Franklin.

Annie Rebecca, known as Rebecca, b. 1845, unmarried, living with her brother William in 1910. She died on Dec. 13, 1914, at the age of 69. She had been keeping house on  the Bustleton Pike. The doctor stated that she died of Bright’s Disease, with a contributing cause a burn on her right arm, “not serious, clothing caught fire while she was lighting a lamp”.17 She was buried at William Penn Cemetery.

William Emmor, known as Emmor, b. Feb 1849, d. Dec 28, 1919, m. Tamyson H. Greaves18 He was a groceryman. An ad in the Bucks County Gazette for May 26, 1898 included him in a list of grocers who were “up to date” and sold Karang Java coffee. They lived in Somerton and were buried at Hatboro.19 His wife Tamyson died in 1932. No known children.

Rachel, b. March 5, 1854, d. 1934, married Edward Clark, lived in Norristown. In the 1900 census he was a train engineer and they had three sons: Edward, William and Albert. In 1910 he was working as a foreman in the paper mill.20 Rachel died in 1934 and was buried at Riverside Cemetery.21 Edward had died before her, in 1932.22

  1. 1850 census, Bucks Co., Bensalem Township, shows parents Benjamin 38 and Lydia 33, with children Watson 11, Elmira 10, Rebecca 5, and William 1, along with three others in the household, Michael Kane, 19, farmer, and Jane Connagh, 21, both from Ireland, and Samuel States, 23, mason.  Benjamin is described as a merchant, with real estate valued at $2,850.
  2. 1860 census, Montgomery County, Moreland, Image 43. The children were Watson, age 21, Elmira, age 19, Rebecca, age 14, Wm. Emma (sic), age 12, and Rachael, age 6. The closest post office was Hatboro.
  3. Warrington Township, Bucks Co., 1870 census, Image 13. The children were Rebecca, age 24; William E. age 21, Rachel, age 16. The farm was valued at $15,000, more than the others right around it.
  4. Bucks County probate files, Bucks County courthouse.
  5. 1880 Census, E.D. #2, Image 53.
  6. Emmor was indexed as Emmit or Emma.
  7. Phila. County Death Certificate, name as Lydia Ann Worthington, b. 3/17/1818, d. 1/8/1908, age 89, died of “LaGrippe”, doctor in Bustleton, father Evan Groom, mother Rachel Randall, residence Bustleton Avenue in Somerton, 35th ward, buried from Bustleton Avenue at William Penn.
  8. Rebecca was actually Annie Rebecca, while Emmor was William Emmor.
  9. Helen W. Tyson remembered the sisters as Annie, Rebecca, and Rachel. She said that Annie married a Tomlinson and had three children, while Becky was an old maid. Annie Rebecca must have used “Rebecca” or “Becky”. The Worthingtons lived around Somerton, near Byberry Friends.
  10. According to Helen Worthington Tyson. Also from the death certificate of Watson Worthington, which shows the names of his parents.  This is important, since there is another Benjamin Worthington with a son Watson.
  11. They buried a child Joseph at William Penn Cemetery in 1897, less than a year old. He was buried as the son of Watson and Elizabeth, but from the timing was more likely a grandson, born too soon after the parents married.
  12. They lived near the Bustleton-Somerton Pike in 1880 (Census, E.D. 461, Image 11). Elmira’s uncle Edward Worthington was living with them, working on the farm. The census enumerator was a Tomlinson.
  13. 1880 census, district 461, 23rd ward, image 11.
  14. Helen remembered Harry as the husband of Anna. Annie died in 1935 and was buried at William Penn cemetery.
  15. Findagrave.
  16. Her Pennsylvania death certificate.
  17. Philadelphia Death Certificate.
  18. Helen Worthington Tyson claimed that he married Pamela Bready as his second wife. She said “We called her Aunt Pam.” But he is buried at Hatboro Cemetery with his wife Tamyson who died after him in 1932. This seems to rule out a second wife. Did Helen remember Aunt Tam as Aunt Pam? And mix up Greaves and Bready?
  19. His Pennsylvania death certificate.
  20. Federal census 1910, Montgomery County, Norristown Ward 6.
  21. Her Pennsylvania death certificate, which gave the date of birth too.
  22. His Pennsylvania death certificate.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *