Hunter, James, 1729-1796.

James Hunter was a Philadelphia, Pa. merchant. He was of Scottish descent, born in Coleraine, County Antrim, in Northern Ireland in 1729. He immigrated to Pennsylvania as a boy and before long he was handling Irish goods at his Philadelphia shop in Strawberry Alley. Hunter invested much of his profit in real estate, owning several homes, farms, and wooded tracts of land. In 1757, he purchased an 141-acre plantation in Radnor, Pa. that had been seized for debts against Caleb Evans. Hunter married Elinor Gardiner in 1764; they had two children that survived to adulthood. The family spent their summers at the Radnor estate. In 1776, Hunter had a summer dwelling built, which was named Woodstock. Hunter served in the Continental Army and participated in the battles of Trenton and Princeton. Later, he was the Paymaster of the Fourth Pennsylvania Battalion. By 1778, Hunter had retired to his Radnor home. When he died in 1796, his son James, Jr. inherited the property.