A book that is close to a century old tells the story of how Bucks County’s most well-known crime families effectively came to an end.

The book “Daily Stories of Pennsylvania” by Frederic A. Godcharles, published in 1924, is a collection of stories and newspaper articles written throughout the state that tell an interesting piece of local history that happened on each day of the year.

One entry, “Two Brothers of Doan Family of Outlaw Sons Hanged September 24, 1788,” tells the story of how the Doan Gang, an infamous crime gang active during the time of the Revolutionary War, came to an end.

Made up of brothers and cousins from a Quaker family that was loyal to England, the family regularly robbed tax collectors and other people in and around the area and many of its members aided the British during the war.

Over the years, the Doans were either jailed, escaped to other parts of America, or fled the country altogether. On the date listed in Godcharles’ book, Levi Doan and Abraham Doan confessed to aiding the enemy and were hung in Philadelphia for treason. This event is seen as one of the final nails in the coffin of the Doan’s story in the area.

“Their valor and generosity made them respected above ordinary robbers,” the book reads, “and many temperate people in the county expressed or felt great commiseration for them.”

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