Bucks County PA Archives Biographies.....Duffield, Thomas J.
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Joe Patterson, Patricia Bastik & Susan Walters Dec 2009

Source: History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania; edited by 
J.H. Battle; A. Warner & Co.; 1887
Middletown Township


   THOMAS J. DUFFIELD retired, P.O. Eden, was born in 
Philadelphia county, Pa., December 15, 1827, and is a son of 
Thomas and Rachel (Dewees) Duffield.  His mother was of 
Swedish descent and her people were the first to manufacture 
paper in the United States.  His father's people were among 
the early English emigrants in America.  When the Duffield 
family first came to America in 1679, they located in 
Burlington, N. J., and bought 2000 acres of land, 
principally in Philadelphia county, Pa., but a part in Bucks 
county.  They were generally farmers, but one in each family 
learned a trade.  Mr. Duffield's grandfather was a tanner by 
trade. He served in the revolution, in which he was a 
non-commissioned officer.  He owned a tanyard in Germantown, 
in Philadelphia county, but it was destroyed by the British. 
 His son, Thomas, was a carpenter and settled in Oxford, 
Lower Dublin, Philadelphia county, and subsequently in the 
city.  Thomas J. Duffield was educated in Philadelphia and 
learned the carpenter and wheelwright trades, which he 
followed until 1861.  At the breaking out of the war he was 
employed at the Schuylkill United States arsenal in the 
storage and handling of government goods, and in 1863 was 
promoted by Secretary of War Stanton to the superintendency 
of the government clothing manufactory at Philadelphia, and 
a part of this time had ten thousand employees under his 
charge.  In 1865 he resigned this position and engaged in 
manufacturing glass at Kaighn's Point, N. J., subsequently 
engaging in the manufacture of carriages and wagons in 
Philadelphia.  In this business he met with success, and in 
1875 sold out and bought a farm in Middletown township.  
Since 1886 he has not engaged in the work of the farm.  He 
lately erected a neat and substantial residence near 
Langhorne station, where he has bought property and now 
resides.  On July 17, 1854, he was married in Philadelphia 
to Mary J., daughter of George and Mary (Baker) DeHaven, of 
German and French origin.  Her great-grandfather, Jacob De 
Haven, being very wealthy, furnished large supplies to the 
army in the revolutionary war, which impoverished him.  
Their union has been blessed with eight children, four 
living: Elizabeth, wife of R. M. Wood; Harry, who is a 
merchant and postmaster at Eden, Bucks county; Laura and 
Frank, who are the younger, remain at home.