Biographical Sketch of Lewis PIERSOL (1893); Chester County, PA Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by John Morris . Copyright. All Rights Reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm ********************************************************* Source: "Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Chester County, Pennsyl- vania, comprising a historical sketch of the county," by Samuel T. Wiley and edited by Winfield Scott Garner, Gresham Publishing Company, Philadel- phia, PA, 1893, pp. 704-5. "LEWIS PIERSOL, an aged and honored citizen of the county, residing near Port Kenedy in Tredyffrin township, is the third child and eldest son of Daniel and Eliza (Lewis) Piersol, and was born December 20, 1818, in Honeybrook township, Chester county, Pennsylvania. He was reared on the paternal acres and educated in the common schools of the neighborhood. He inherited a home-loving disposition, and believing that his native county afforded as many advantages as could be found in any one place on earth, he has passed his entire life - excepting two years spent in the dry goods business in Philadelphia - contentedly within her borders, un- attracted by glowing accounts of fortunes to be won or honors acquired in other sections of our common country. For the last seventeen years he has been a resident of Tredyffrin township, where he owns a splendid little farm, consisting of thirty acres of choice land, all well im- proved and very productive. In his potential affiliations he is a stanch republican, and while earnestly supporting his party during his more active years, has of late taken no prominent part in politics. He is a strict adherent on the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he has served as class leader for a long time, and strange as it may seem has also served for fifteen years as trustee of the Presbyterian church at Port Kenedy. "On October 5, 1843, Mr. Piersol was married to Elizabeth Manger, a daughter of John and Elizabeth Manger, of Honeybrook township, this county, and to them was born three children, two sons and a daughter: John M., now deceased; Mary R., the wife of William Falwell, a prominent dry goods merchant of Philadelphia, who is also engaged in the manufac- ture of woolen goods in that city; and George H., who married Sidney Potter, of West Philadelphia, and was a partner of Mr. Falwell in the dry goods business for some years, but is now deceased. Mrs. Elizabeth (Manger) Piersol died April 24, 1881, and on October 5, 1882, Mr. Piersol wedded Elizabeth Parker, of the city of Reading, this State. "The Piersol family originally came from Wales, but have been natives of Pennsylvania for many generations. Jeremiah Piersol, paternal grand- father of Lewis Piersol, was born in Honeybrook township, this county, on the old homestead, where he passed his life and died. He was a fed- eralist in politics, and engaged exclusively in farming and stock raising. He married and reared a large family of sons and daughters who became useful and respected members of society. "On the home farm in Honeybrook township Daniel Piersol (father) was born in 1788, and reared and educated there. Some years after attain- ing manhood he removed to West Nantmeal township, where he died in 1832, aged forty-four years. He was a farmer and stockman by occupation, an old-line whig in politics, and married Eliza Lewis, a daughter of Edward Lewis, of Honeybrook. To their union was born a family of ten children, one-half of whom were sons: Ann, Elizabeth, Lewis, Sarah, Mariah, Hannah, Jeremiah, Samuel, Daniel and Dr. Jesse K., who now resides in Michigan, where he is practicing medicine. Of these ten children only two now survive - Dr. J. K. Piersol and Lewis, the sub- ject of this sketch."