Biographical and genealogical history of the state of Delaware, Vol. I, Part 18

Author: Runk, J.M. & Co
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chambersburg, Pa.
Number of Pages: 1482

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from Congress, was to be still further digni- fied and exalted by his elevation to the bench of the AAdmiralty of the State, to which he was appointed March 1, 1779. But he lived only a short time to enjoy his last honor. He died July 14, 1779, of a sudden attack of gout, at his home in Lancaster, and was buried in Christ Church burial ground. He left one son, James, who became an active patriot on the breaking out of the Revolution. He raised the first company in Lancaster, was made cap- tain and marched to Cambridge. He rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel of the Eighth Pennsylvania Regiment, with which he fought in the memorable battle of the Brandy- wine. In the battles of Long Island, Tren- ton, Germantown, Col. Ross bore a conspicu- ous part. He was appointed judge in the Territory of Louisiana. IIe died August 24, 1808, in the fifty-fifth year of his age.

After the lapse of one hundred and eighteen years the Lancaster County Histori- cal Society reared a pillar and tablet to the memory of the signer on the site of his coun- try residence in the environs of the city of Lancaster. The ceremonies took place June 4, 1897, in the presence of a great concourse of people. Hon. Marriott Brosius, member of Congress from Lancaster county, delivered an eloquent oration in which he recounted the patriotic services of the distinguished son of Delaware.

VIII. Gertrude, b. about 1732. She mar- ried Hon. George Read, the first, (of Dela- ware), signer of the Declaration of Indepen- dence.

IX. Catharine, b. about 1734; m. Capt. William Thompson, a native of Ireland, of good family, who had been an officer in the Pennsylvania regiment during the French and Indian War, and who was afterwards, during the Revolution, a general (from March 1, 1776, to Sept. 3, 1781), of the Continental Line. Their children were: i. George, who m. Mary Callender, a daughter of Capt. Rob- ert Callender; ii. Robert, d. unm .; iii. Mary, m. Hon. George Read, second, of Delaware; iv. Catharine, m. first, Galbraith Patterson, son of Capt. William Patterson, who was b. at Patterson's Fort in 1767, studied law at Lancaster, was admitted in 1789, removed to what is now the borough of DuBoistown, op- posite the city of Williamsport, where he d. February 26, 1801, in his thirty-fourth year.

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BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

Ilis widow m. second, James Orbison, of Chambersburg, Pa., where she d. February 24, 1811. She had a daughter by Mr. Pat- terson, who married, first, David Maclay; second, Hon. Alexander T. Hayes, who was for many years a judge of the Court of Com- mon Pleas, Lancaster; v. Juliana, m. John IIolmes, of Baltimore; vi. Elizabeth, m. - Count Joseph St. Leger d'Happart, of France; vii. William Allen, m. Sarah Lewis Clay, wid. ow, daughter of Richard Mc Williams, Esq., of Delaware.

X. Elizabeth, b. about 1736; m. Col. Ed- ward Biddle, of Reading, a distinguished law- ver, speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly, and member of the Continental Congress.

XI. Susanna, b. about 1738; m. Rev. Wil- liam Thompson, of the Episcopal church.

XII. Mary, b. about 1740; m. in 1763 C'ol. Mark Bird, of Birdsboro, a prominent iron master. He took an active part in the Revolu- tion. On August 7, 1776, "he reported to the Council of Safety that about 300 men in his battalion would be ready to march in several days, he having supplied them with provisions, tents and uniforms at his own expense." He became a wealthy man for his time, his landed possessions in Berks county alone reaching 8,000 acres, on which were situated his exten- sive furnaces at Birdsboro and Hopewell. But in 1786 he was compelled to make an assign- ment of his estate for the benefit of his credi- tors. About 1788 he removed to North Carolina, where he soon afterwards died.

Rev. George Ross, the progenitor of this distinguished family, was rector of the New Castle Church (Immanuel), from June, 1703, to July, 1708. He then removed to Chester, where, in connection with his church duties, he conducted a school. In October, 1714, his old congregation at New Castle induced him to return, and he continued to labor there until his death in 1754. Altogether, he served in the New Castle Church for the long period of forty-three years. IIe was buried under the chancel of the church, but strange as it may appear, no record of the date of his death has been preserved in the church ar- chives.

THOMAS FENWICK.

Thomas Fenwick, although comparatively little is known of his early history, was a man of some note in Delaware soon after the ad-

vent of William Penn. His name indicates Scotch origin. He appears to have settled first in Maryland, for the earliest well au- thenticated event in his history was his re- ceiving by purchase several grants of land in Somerset county of that State. These grants bore the date 1686 and were called "Fenwick's Choice," "Winter Pasture,""Cow's Quarters," "Dumfries," "Scottish Plot," &e. The last two names lead to the inference that Mr. Fenwick was a Scotchman. He afterwards disposed of these lands in smaller lots. While living in Maryland he appears to have been a planter. Prior to settling in Delaware, he received a grant for "Fenwick Island," at the southeast corner of Sussex county, near Cape Henlopen. This island was destined to become historical, for through it was run the boundary line of Delaware and Maryland, and reference is made to it in the celebrated case of Penn vs. Lord Baltimore. Soon after settling in Sussex county, Thomas Fenwick became a member of Penn's Provincial Council, justice of the peace, sheriff of the county and register of wills. These appointments show that he must have been a man of some standing and enjoyed the confidence of William Penn. The time of his death is unknown, but as his will was dated in 1708, and was probated a few months later, he must have died some time in that year. It is on record at Georgetown. Ilis wife's Christian name appears as Mary in the will, and the following children are men- tioned :

1. Anne (Mrs. Robert ('lifton);

2. Margaret (Mrs. Edward Stretcher);

3. James; apparently his only son. What became of him is unknown.

Reference is also made in the will to John and Margaret Hepburn, of Somerset county, regarding the transfer of his land. John . Hepburn is known to have emigrated from Scotland at an early date. He belonged to the historie family of that name in Scotland. There also appears to have been a Cuthbert Fenwick, who had sons, Robert, Richard and John. His will is dated March 6, 1654. What relationship existed between Cuthbert and Thomas Fenwick is unknown, but it is sup- posed the former was unele to the latter. Thomas Fenwick died at Lewes, and is sup- posed to have been buried in the old cemetery at that place.

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HOx. GEORGE READ.

George Read was a native of the Province of Maryland, where he was born in 1734. Ilis grandfather was an Irishman, who resided in the city of Dublin, and was possessed of a considerable fortune. His son, John Read, the father of Hon. George Read, having emi- grated to America, took up his residence in Cecil county, Maryland, where he pursued the occupation of a planter. Not long after the birth of his eldest son, he removed with his family into the Province of Delaware, and settled in the county of New Castle. Mr. Read, designing his son for one of the learned professions, placed him in a seminary at Ches- ter. Ilaving there acquired the rudiments of the learned languages, the boy was transferred to the care of that learned and accomplished scholar, Rev. Dr. Alison, at his famous school at New London, Chester county, Pa. Young Read continued his studies until his seven- teenth year, when he entered the office of John Moland, a distinguished lawyer in Philadelphia, for the purpose of acquiring a knowledge of the legal profession. He made rapid progress, and before completing his pre- paratory studies showed such aptitude for the profession that his preceptor entrusted to him a considerable share of his legal business.

In 1253, at the early age of nineteen years, Mr. Read was admitted to the bar. On this event he performed an act of singular gener- osity in favor of the other children of the family. As the eldest son, he was entitled, by the existing laws, to two shares of his father's estate, but he relinguished all his rights in favor of his brothers, assigning as a reason for this act, his belief that he had re- ceived his proportion in the education which had been given him.

In the following year he commenced the practice of law in the town of New Castle, and although surrounded by gentlemen of high distinction in the profession, he soon ac- quired the confidence of the public, and ob- tained a respectable share of business. In 1763 he was appointed to succeed John Ross as attorney general of the three counties of Delaware. This office Mr. Read held until the year 1775, when, on being elected to Con- press, he resigned it.

During the same year Mr. Read married Gertrude, daughter of the Rev. George Ross,

a clergyman, who had long presided over the Episcopal Church in New Castle. The char- aeter of Mrs. Read was in every respect ex- cellent. In her person she was beautiful, and to elegant manners was added a deep and con- stant piety. She was also imbued with the spirit of a pure patriotism. During the Revo- lutionary War she was often called to suffer many privations, and was frequently exposed with her infant family to imminent danger from the predatory incursions of the British. Yet, in the darkest hour and amidst the most appalling danger, her fortitude was unshaken and her courage undaunted.

In the year 1765 Mr. Read was elected a representative from New Castle county to the General Assembly of Delaware, a post which he occupied for twelve years. By an adher- ence to the royal cause he had reason to an- ticipate office, honor and wealth. But his patriotism and integrity were of too pure a character to be influenced by worldly prefer- ment or pecuniary reward.

On the first of August, 1774, Mr. Read was chosen a member of the Continental Congress in connection with Caesar Rodney and Thomas MeKean. To this station he was an- nually elected during the whole Revolution- ary war, and was indeed present in the na- tional assembly, except for a few short in- tervals, during the whole of that period.

When the time came for signing the Declaration of Independence, Mr. Read af- fixed his signature to it with all the cordiality of those who had voted in favor of the declar- ation itself.

In the following September Mr. Read was elected president of the convention which formed the first Constitution of the State of Delaware. On the completion of this he was offered the executive chair, but chose at that time to decline the honor. In 1777, the governor, Mr. MeKinly, was captured by a detachment of British troops, and Mr. Read was called to take his place in the respon- sible office (see sketches of the Governors), the duties of which he continued to discharge until the release of the Governor.

In 1777 ill-health required him to retire for a season from public employment. In 1782, however, he accepted the appointment of judge of the Court of Appeals in admiralty cases, an office in which he continued until the abolition of the court. In 1787 he repre-

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BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDI.1

sented the State of Delaware in the conven- tion which framed the Constitution of the United States, under which he was immediate- ly elected a member of the Senate. The du- ties of this exalted station he discharged till 1793, when he accepted a seat on the bench of the Supreme Court of the State of Dela- ware, as Chief Justice. In this exalted posi- tion he continued till the autumn of 1798, when, on the 21st of September, he was sud- denly summoned to another world. He was buried near the eastern wall of Immanuel Church, New Castle.

THE BEDFORDS.

Although occupying a conspicuous position in the history of Delaware, nothing is known of the ancestry of Lieutenant Colonel Gun- ning Bedford, of Colonel Haslet's regiment of Delaware State troops, and afterwards Deputy Quartermaster General of the Ameri- can Army. Captain Bellas, who has devoted much time to genealogical research, declares that very little connected history of the Bed- ford family can be obtained. Gunning Bed- ford was born in Philadelphia in 1730, and died in New Castle, Delaware, September 30, 1797. He was a lieutenant during the French and Indian War, and entered the Revolution- ary army as a major, March 20, 1775. Hav- ing been promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel of Colonel Haslet's regiment, he was wounded at White Plains. On June 18, 1776, he was appointed quartermaster general. The fact that he entered the service from Dela- ware, leads to the conclusion that he had set- tled in that state early, probably soon after returning from service in the French and In- dian campaign. He was a delegate from Delaware to the old Congress of 1783-85, and governor of the State from January, 1796, to his death, September 30, 1797. The frac- tional portion of his term, which ended in 1799, was filled by Daniel Rogers, speaker of the Senate. Governor Bedford married Mary, daughter of Col. John and Mary (Howell) Read. He left no issue at his death. In the minutes of Council of Delaware he was gen- erally denominated the "Elder," or "Senior."

Gunning Bedford, Jr., it is stated, was his cousin. He was born in Philadelphia in 1747, and died in Wilmington, Delaware, March 30, 1812. He graduated at Nassau Hall,

Princeton College, in 1771, among his class- inates being James Madison and Hugh M. Breekinridge. He was one of the first scholars of his class and probably the best speaker, for he was selected to deliver the valedietory ora- tion at the commencement. Previous to his graduation he had been married to Miss Jane Ballaroux Parker, daughter of James Parker, of Boston, whose wife was a lady of French descent. His wife was so interested in his success at college that she traveled on horse- back to Princeton with her baby to witness her husband's triumph. On leaving college young Bedford studied law with Joseph Reed, an eminent attorney of Philadelphia, and hav- ing been admitted to the bar removed to Dover, Delaware, where he practiced success- fully until failing health compelled him to leave and take up his residence in Wilmington. "He was a handsome man," says William T. Read, in his life of George Read, "and a very fluent and agreeable speaker, and the high place he gained in the esteem and confidence of his fellow citizens was shown by the offices of trust and importance which he filled." On the breaking out of the Revolution he took sides with the patriots and threw his whole force and influence in behalf of liberty. Dur- ing the war he served for a short time as aid- de-camp to General Washington. He was at- torney general of the State, a member of the Assembly of Delaware, and of the Continental Congress, from 1783 to 1787; a member of the convention which formed the Constitution of the United States, and signer of that in- strument; and it was largely through his ef- forts that Delaware, in common with Rhode Island and other small states, was put upon an equality with the large States in numeri- cal representation in the United States Senate. Ile was a presidential elector in 1789 and 1793. Upon the organization of the Govern- ment, President Washington appointed him Judge of the United States District Court, and he filled that high office honorably for himself and satisfactorily to the public until he was disabled by disease which terminated his life in 1812, as stated above. Miss Mont- gomery, in her "Reminiscences of Wilming- ton" (p. 245), says that General Washington presented his pocket pistols to Judge Bedford as a token of approbation of his services. After the General's death, Lady Washington presented to him, as a memento of her regard,

yours Sincerely

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the Masonie sash worn by her husband. It is now preserved among the valuable collection of relies of the great man in the building at Morristown, New Jersey, known as "Wash- ington's Headquarters." It is of crimson silk. Judge Bedford had several children. Ilis daughter Anu, who married Commodore John Barney, of the U. S. Navy, was born in 1769, and died in 1818. Another daugh- ter, who married Gen. John Stricker, of Mary- land, was born February 15, 1769 (twin, probably, with Mrs. Barney), and died June 23, 1825. His last surviving daughter was Henrietta T. Bedford (born 1789, died An- gust, 1871), in Wilmington. This daughter caused a splendid and enduring monument of granite to be placed over her distinguished father's grave in the First Presbyterian churchyard, Wilmington, in 1858. The beautiful and appropriate epitaph carved on the shaft was composed by William T. Read, and it may be read from the Market street sidewalk, so close does the monument stand to the iron fence.

COMMODORE MACDONOUGH.

Thomas Macdonough, distinguished as a naval officer, was a native of Delaware. In a contribution to the Historical Society, his grandson, Rodney Macdonough, of Boston, says that his family was of Scotch-Irish origin. llis great-grandfather, Thomas Macdonough, lived on the river Liffey, County Kildare, Ire- Jand. Either he or his father was a native of Scotland, but, on account of the disturbed con- dition of the county, had emigrated to Ireland and settled there. This Thomas had several children, two of whom, John and James, came to this country about 1730. John Macdon- ough settled on Long Island, and James Mac- donough, the ancestor of the Delaware line, settled in St. George's hundred, New Castle county, Delaware, at the place then called the Trap, but to which the post office department in 1844 gave the name of Macdonough. Here he lived to a good old age, dying in 1702, eighty years old. ITis wife was Lydia, daugh- ter of Peter Laroux, also of St. George's hun- dred. James and Lydia Macdonough left sev- eral children, among whom was Thomas Mac- donough, 2, the commodore's father, born in 1747.

Thomas Macdonough, 2, lived in stirring

times on the Delaware. Ile had studied medi- cine and adopted that profession, but when there came the call to arms in 1776 he threw away the lancet and buckled on the sword. On March 22, 1776, he was commissioned by Congress as major in Col. John Haslet's regi- ment of Delaware troops in the Continental service. Five months later the regiment took the field, and the first engagement in which it took part was the battle of Long Island. In the absence of the colonel and lieutenant colo- nel, Major Maedonough was in command, and acquitted himself so as to receive the thanks of General Washington. During this engage- ment he was wounded. Then followed the battles of White Plains, Trenton and Prince- ton, in all of which the regiment participated. Its loss in officers and men in the battle of Princeton was so great that the time of most of the men having expired, the regiment was disbanded and never reorganized and the major returned to his home.

In 1782 he was colonel of the Seventh Regi- ment, Delaware militia. In 1788 he was ap- pointed third justice of the Court of Common Pleas and Orphans' Court by Governor Col- lins. In 1991 Governor Clayton appointed him second justice of the Court of Common Pleas and Orphans' Court, and in 1793 he was again appointed by the same governor one of the justices of the Court of Common Pleas.

The wife of Major Macdonough was Mary, daughter of Samuel Vance. IIe died a com- paratively young man in 1795, and he and his wife are buried side by side in the family lot. They left a number of children, amono whom was Thomas Maedonough, 3, destined to be- come distinguished as a naval commander.

Thomas Macdonough, 3, was born Decem- ber 31, 1783, at the Trap, on the farm on which his father and grandfather had lived be- fore him. For sixteen years he resided at or near his home, happy and contented; he al- ways retained a lively and affectionate remem- brance of the home of his youth. Just after completing his sixteenth year he entered the navy. Ile had heard much of war. His un- ele, Patrick Macdonough, had been a soldier under St. Clair in his ill-fated expedition. His father had served in the Revolution. His elder brother, James, was a midshipman in the navy and had taken part in the engagement between the Constellation and the Insurgente, and lost a leg. The stories he heard from these rela-

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BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

tives fanned the spark of patriotism in his bosom into a bright and steady flame.

On the 15th of February, 1800, Thomas Macdonough was appointed a midshipman by John Adams, through the influence of United States Senator Latimer, of Delaware. He straightway went aboard ship at New Castle, bound for a cruise in the West Indies, and saw some hard service.

Hle was with Stephen Decatur when they burned the Philadelphia in the harbor of Trip- oli. Lieutenant Lawrence and ten men, with midshipmen Laws and Macdonough, were di- rected by Decatur to fire the berth deck and forward store room of the captured ship. They did their duty courageously and well and the ship was destroyed. For his services on this occasion MeDonough was promoted to the rank of lieutenant May 18, 1804.

Cruising in the Mediterranean he had many adventures and narrow escapes. In the har- bor of Gibraltar, a British man-of-war's boat boarded an American merchantman and took out, or impressed, one of her men. Maedon- ough went alongside the British boat and demanded him, which demand was refused. Ile then took hold of the man, put him into his own boat, and brought him on board his ship, the Syren. The British officer blustered and stormed, but Macdonough kept the man, who was an American.

Ilis bravery was of that kind which knew no fear. While lying off Syracuse, he obtain- ed permission to go ashore. Just as he was stepping into a boat to return to his ship he was set upon by three cut-throats armed with daggers. The young lieutenant drew his sword, and though the odds were three to one, two of his assailants were soon disabled, and the third, taking to flight and being fol- lowed by the officer, ran into a building and upon the roof, from whence, there being no way of escape, he threw himself to the ground to avoid being taken. Young Macdonough was the gallant Decatur's favorite midship- man, and "wherever Decatur led he dared to follow." To relate all of his adventures would require the space of a small volume. .

On the breaking out of the second war with Great Britain, he was ordered to take com- mand of the naval force on Lake Champlain September 12, 1812. On December 12, of the same year, he married Lucy Aun, daugh-

ter of Nathaniel Shaler, of Middletown, Con- necticut. There he afterwards made his home when off duty and there his children were born. One of them, "whom," as he writes in 1822 to his sister Lydia in Delaware, "I call Rodney after my friend in Wilmington,' is now living in New York City, and another, Charlotte Rosella, now a widow, is living in Middletown.

On the 24th of July, 1813, Maedonough was commissioned master commandant, and soon after took command of the fleet on Lake Champlain. The brilliant naval victory which he won over the British on the 11th of Sep- tember, 1814, is well known to all readers of history. The loss of the Americans was fifty- two killed and fifty-eight wounded; that of the . British eighty-four killed and one hundred and ten wounded. The prisoners taken ex- ceeded the whole number of the Americans in the action. The victory was hailed by the whole country with great joy.

The state of New York, in justice and gratitude, gave the gallant commodore one thousand acres of land, and the state of Ver- mont made him a grant of two hundred acres on Cumberland Head, which overlooked the scene of his brilliant naval victory on Cham- plain. He was voted a gold medal by Con- gress, and was the recipient of numerous civic honors from cities and towns through- out the country.

On the 30th of November, 1814, he was commissioned captain, then the highest rank in the infant navy, to take rank from the date of his brilliant victory over the English fleet. After considerable service from the date of his promotion, he was ordered to assume com- mand of the American squadron in the Medi- terranean. Owing to ill health, however, he was relieved of the command of the Copsti- tution on October 14, 1823, with permission to return to the United States, but he did not live to see his native land, dying at sea while homeward bound, ten days out from Gibral- tar, November 10, 1825. His death was caused by consumption, the result of the ex- posure and hard service to which he had been subjected during his active career. His re- mains were brought home and buried at Mid- dletown, Connecticut, December 1, 1825, with military, civil and Masonic honors. His wife had died a few months before, and they no

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Biographical and genealogical history of the state of Delaware, Vol. I, Part 18

Author: Runk, J.M. & Co Publication date: 1899 Publisher: Chambersburg, Pa. Number of Pages: 1482

Author: Runk, J.M. & Co
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chambersburg, Pa.
Number of Pages: 1482