The John Thompson House is an historic American house that is located near Richboro in

Northampton Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania Northampton Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The township is located approximately 12 miles northeast of Philadelphia. The population was 39,726 at the 2010 census. History Northampton Township was originally settled by En ...

. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

on July 16, 1973.

History and architectural features

Built in 1740, this historic house was owned by John Thompson, a local

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

veteran. Despite also being known as the Hip Roof House, the house has an elongated- gambrel roof instead of a

hip roof A hip roof, hip-roof or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope (although a tented roof by definition is a hipped roof with steeply pitched slopes rising to a peak). Thus, ...

. ''Note:'' This includes John Thompson, who was born on November 16, 1726, in County Tyrone, Ireland, emigrated to the United States during the mid-1700s with his mother and three brothers. He served as an ensign in the Northampton Company of Associators during the American Revolution.''Genealogy of the Wilson-Thompson Families''
from

Archive.org The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

Son of Elizabeth (McGraudy) Thompson and brother of Robert Thompson who owned the now Historic Thompson-Neeley House in Washington's Crossing. A miller like his brother Robert, John Thompson married Mary Houston (the twin sister of his brother William's wife) on February 17, 1762. They had nine known children: Elizabeth, Hugh, Jane, John, Robert, John, William, Thomas & James. He was commissioned sheriff of Bucks county on March 22, 1777, and served until October 17, 1779, becoming the first Bucks County sheriff to be commissioned under the constitution of 1776. He was appointed wagon master January 9, 1778, sub-agent for purchasing flour for the French fleet on July 13, 1779, and collector of excise on October 20, 1783. It's probable that his position as a commissioned officer, as well as the fact that he had funds in his hands collected for the use of that government, caused him to receive a visit from the "Tory Doans" during the Revolutionary War. Their animosity was generally directed towards tax collectors.See Penn. Archives, Second Series, Vol. III, pp. 713, 728, 730; cited by ''Genealogy of the Wilson-Thompson families'' At his death on July 18, 1799, he was one of the largest landowners in Bucks County with more than 900 acres in his possession. According to his will, his land was divided between his six sons. He was buried in the Presbyterian graveyard in Newtown, Bucks County, PA.

Later years

This house was listed on the

on July 16, 1973.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, John, House Houses completed in 1740 Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Houses in Bucks County, Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Bucks County, Pennsylvania

History and architectural features

Later years

See also

References