HUGH J. WORRELL (b. 1806 - d. 1882)

Hugh J. Worrell was a one time elder of the First Presbyterian Church of Kensington and served on the committee for the building of the new church. Besides his service to the church, Worrell also spent his time doing service for the community as a whole. He was one of the controllers of the Public Schools for Philadelphia's Tenth Section, which was Kensington, during the mid 1840's (1844-46). Later in his life, Worrell was still doing service for the community when he served as a manager with the Kensington Soup Society in the early 1870's (1873-74).

Worrell is listed on the roll of members book for First Presbyterian Church of Kensington as joining on September 19th, 1842. Previous to his joining the church, there was a Catharine Worrell listed as joining on June 25th, 1836. This may or may not have been his wife, or some other female relative. Several Worrell marriages also took place at First Presbyterian Church of Kensington, so there could have been other Worrell families in the community. There was a James Worrell and a Mary B. Worrell, who both married at the church. There was also a Jane Worrell who married David Andrenston in 1847 and a Rebecca Worrell who married a William Binley in 1852. Hugh J. Worrell himself appeared in the record books as being the witness at the wedding of George Grim and Letitia Cooper in 1860.

Worrell seams to have started out in life as a weaver and lived near 10th & Vine as early as 1835, but by 1845, he had moved to Kensington, to Hanover (Columbia) Street, above Duke (Thompson), and was still working as a weaver. However, by the end of the decade (1848) he was working as a "collector." By collector it would seem to be collecting rents for a realtor or landlord, as in 1859 he begins to be listed as an "agent" then a year later in 1860, as a "real estate agent." By 1860 the name Hanover Street was changed to the present day Columbia Avenue and his home was given the address of 1426 Columbia Avenue. It would seem that Worrell spent the better part of his life at this address, from at least the early 1840's until his death in 1882. Worrell continued to work as a collector and agent through the 1870's when he disappears from the city directories.

On the 1880 Federal Census there appears a "H. J. Worrell." It would seem that this is Hugh J. Worrell as nowhere else in the Census does there appear a Hugh J. Worrell. He is listed with James M. Holden, a produce dealer. Holden may have been some sort of relative, but it is unclear at this time, as Worrell is listed simply under the term "other." This H. J. Worrell is listed as being born in England and Holden's parents were listed as being born in England, so perhaps their families knew each other back in England. Worrell is listed as 74 years old, which would have him being born in 1806. This 1806 date of birth would seem about right for Hugh J. Worrell who was already being listed in the city directories in the 1830's. There is one other H. J. Worrell in the city directories at this time in the late 1870's and 1880's, but he is enumerated with other Worrells at 117 S. 19th Street and in later directories his name appears as Harry and not Hugh, so it doesn't seem to be him. The James M. Holden that Worrell is enumerated with is not listed in the city directory for 1880 so it is unclear of his exact address, but his neighbors in the census pages are listed and their addresses place this Holden on the 1400 block of Hanover Street, or the same street and block that Hugh J. Worrell is known to have lived from the 1840's through the 1870's when he disappears from the city directories.

The roll of members' records indicates that Hugh J. Worrell died in 1882, but for some reason he does not appear in the city directories after the year 1870. Since he is listed as the manager of the Kensington Soup Society for at least the years 1873 to 1874, it would then appear that he died sometime between 1874 and either January or July of 1882. The fact that he was not listed in the city directories after 1870 may simply mean that he retired, or was perhaps living with someone else.