Biographical and genealogical history of the state of Delaware, Vol. I, Part 51

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

USA > Delaware > Biographical and genealogical history of the state of Delaware, Vol. I > Part 51

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

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the M. E. church. His ancestors, paternal and maternal, were members of the Society of Friends.

JOHN BULLOCK, Wilmington, Del., son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Talley) Bullock, was born in Brandywine hundred, New Castle county, Del., June 9, 1841.

Ilis paternal and maternal ancestors were English. Aaron Bullock, great-great-great- grandfather of John Bullock, 3, came to this country from England about 1716. In Eng- land he had been a salesman for his brothers, Peter and Timothy, who operated linen fac- tories in Belfast, Ireland, and had their resi- dences in Liverpool, England. In this coun- try, Aaron received land by a grant from Wil- liam Penn, and spent the remainder of his life in its cultivation. His farm land was in what is now Delaware county, Pa., and was close to the Delaware state line. Here Mr. Bullock died. His remains were buried in the Old Swedes' churchyard in Wilmington.

When Aaron Bullock came to America he brought with him his son Isaac, then five years old. Isaac afterwards became an apprentice to Amos Chandoler, blacksmith, of Chando- ler's Hollow. He worked at his trade and was engaged in farming for many years in Dela- ware county. Besides the usual fabrications of the smithy, he manufactured cowbells, and sold large quantities of them in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland. His bells were cele- brated for their tone and superior workinan- ship. Isaac Bullock married Margery Smith; their children were: I. Isaac, 2, who served in the Revolutionary War; II. Thomas; III. Moses; IV. John. All were farmers.

John Bullock, great-grandfather of John Bullock, 3, married Sarah, daughter of Thomas Hampton, of England, and had chil- dren: I. Isaac; II. Samuel, died in childhood; III. Moses; IV. John, 2; V. Thomas II .; VI. Hannah (Mrs. John M. Smith); VII. Mary (Mrs. William Gray); VIII. Hester (Mrs. Abner Vernon; IX. Jane (Mrs. John Pierce).

John Bullock, 2, was born in Delaware county, Pa., and engaged in farming there. He married Sarah Sharpley, of Brandywine hundred, Del., and had several children.

Jacob Bullock learned the wheelwright trade, and worked at it in Brandywine hun- dred, New Castle county, Del., and in Wil- mington. He married Elizabeth, daughter of

Adam and Hannah Talley, of Brandywine hundred, Del. They had children: I. John 3; II. Sharpley; III. Anna Mary, died young; IV. Margery (Mrs. Cassidy); V. Emma; VI. Elizabeth ( Mrs. Albert MeCracken); VII. Jacob, 2, of Philadelphia. Mr. Bullock died in Wilmington, February 19, 1860, aged forty-five years.

John Bullock, 3, was educated in the pub- lic schools of Wilmington, and was afterward apprenticed to a wheelwright. He has been occupied with his trade all his life, with the exception of three years given to the service of his country. On August 18, 1862, he en- listed, at Wilmington, in Company D, Fourth Regiment, Delaware Volunteer Infantry, and was with that regiment until the elose of the Civil War. He participated in the battles of Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Weldon Railroad, and Gravel Run, Va., in 1864, and Five Forks, Va., in 1865, and in many important engagements. Mr. Bullock was mustered out of the army at Alden Heights, Va., in 1865, and returned to Wilmington, where he re- sumed his trade as a wheelwright. In April, 1897, he engaged in business for himself. He is a Republican.

John Bullock, 3, was twice married. His first wife was Annabel Anderson, of Delaware county, Pa. They had children: I. Anna T. (Mrs. Kinsey Vanzandt); II. William S .; III. John E. and two who are dead. Mrs. Annabel Bullock died, and Mr. Bullock was married, the second time, in Camden, N. J., to Anna M., daughter of Carl MeAllister. Mr. Bul- lock and family attend the M. E. church.

Thomas H. Bullock, fifth son of John and Sarah (Hampton) Bullock and grand-unele of John Bullock, 3, was born on the old home- stead in Delaware county, Pa. He was for a number of years a tanner. Afterward he was landlord of the Lion Tavern at Chadd's Ford, Delaware county, and during his management of the hostelry he entertained General Lafay- ette on the occasion of the visit of the great French general to the Brandywine battlefield. After the death of his father, Thomas II. Bul- lock returned to the homestead farm and re- sided there until his death. He married Eliza- beth, daughter of Abel and Sarah (Thomas) Roberts; they had children as follows: I. Sarah (Mrs. John Gray), deceased; II. Jacob, deceased, married Abigail Hollingsworth; III. Elizabeth (Mrs. Jonathan Dutton), deceased;

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IV. Harriet (Mrs. George Trainor), of Media, l'a., widow; V. Catharine (Mrs. Edward Ma- gee), deceased; VI. Eveline (Mrs. William MeKay), of Kansas, widow; VII. John, died at the age of sixteen years; VIII. Thomas P., of Philadelphia, married Sarah Seal, and after her death, Clara May; IX. Isaac, of Philadel- phia, married Sarah Cheyney; X. Moses B. Mr. Bullock died July 5, 1861, in his seventy- second year; his widow also is deceased.

Moses B. Bullock was born on the old home- stead farm in Delaware county, Pa., Septem- ber 27, 1835. He attended the common schools of that vicinity and spent the greater part of his life there as a butcher and farmer. On March 25, 1881, he removed to Wilming- ton and has since been employed here as en- gineer of various steam plants. Mr. Bullock was a soldier in the war of the Rebellion. On September 9, 1861, he enlisted in the Eighth Regiment, Pennsylvania Cavalry, and served until July, 1862, when he was discharged at the Washington Hospital on account of gen- eral disability. He is a member of Kakohak- ing Tribe, No. 17, I. O. R. M., and of Brandy- wine Commandery, N. 51, K. of M. In poli- tics he is a Republican. On December 24, 1862, at Rockdale parsonage, by Rev. Jolm K. Murphy, rector of St. Paul's church, of Con- cordville, Delaware county, Pa., Moses B. Bul- lock was married to Harriet M., daughter of George and Lydia A. Walter of Concordville. Mr. Bullock is a member of the Brandywine M. E. church.

BENJAMIN C. WELLS, Wilmington, Del., son of James and Susan (Thompson) Wells, was born in Blackbird hundred, New Castle county, Del., July 25, 1818.

His father, who was of English descent, was born in Blackbird hundred in 1784, and that locality was his home throughout his lifetime. Ile was for many years a farmer. James Wells married Susan, daughter of Thomas and Susan Thompson, of Kent county, Del. They had children: I. James; II. Elizabeth (Mrs. John Cunningham); III. Eliza; IV. Thomas T .; V. Benjamin C .; VI. John; VII. Mary Ann; VIII. Sarah Jane (Mrs. Samuel Courtney). Benjamin C. Wells is the only one of the fam- ily now living. Mr. James Wells died in 1867; his wife died in 1832, aged forty-five years.

Benjamin C. Wells spent his boyhood in Blackbird hundred. At the age of fifteen he

was apprenticed at brick-laying and plastering to Benjamin Enos, of Smyrna, Del. When he had completed his apprenticeship, he en- gaged in business for himself in Kent county, Md., continuing in that county until 1848. Hle then transferred his business operations to St. George's, Red Lion hundred, New Cas- tle county, Del. In 1861 he established a gen- eral merchandise store in St. George's and conducted it until March, 1869, when he came to Wilmington and has since been pro- prietor of a retail grocery store. Mr. Wells is a Republican and for two years of his resi- dence in Kent county, Md., was a postmaster.

On January 3, 1842, in Smyrna, Del., Ben- jamin C. Wells was married to Catharine, daughter of Rev. Solomon Seemans, a na- tive of Kent county, Md. They had one child, Benjamin, who died in infancy. Mrs. Wells died November 20, 1842. On July 15, 1844, in Middletown, Del., Mr. Wells married Mary Seemans, a sister of his first wife. Their children are: I. Walter S., died in youth; II. Sarah Elizabeth, died in infancy; III. Josephine, died in infancy; IV. Benjamin Franklin, died in infancy; V. Kate (. (Mrs. J. A. Whiteraft), of Wilmington, Del., has two children, i. Mary I., ii. Blanche HI .; VI. Julia S. (Mrs. Harvey C. Wingate), of Wilmington, Del., has one child, Bertha C .; VII. Jennie, died in childhood; VIII. Ida E. (Mrs. William M. Palmer), of Wilmington, Del., married previously to Oliver H. Court- ney, deceased; IX. Benjamin, died in infancy. Mr. Wells attends the M. E. church.

FREDERICK K. KAISER, Wilmington, Del., son of Charles and Mary ( Karch) Kai-er, was born in Wilmington, March 15, 1856.

His grandparents, paternal and maternal, were born in Germany. Carl Kaiser, his grandfather, never removed from the Father- land. Jacob Karch, his maternal grandfather, was a native of Baden, Germany, and there re- ceived his education, learned cabinet-making and married Salome Schaeffer. In December, 1833, Jacob Karch and his wife came to America. They selected Delaware as their home, and were among the first German set- tlers in the state. Mr. Karch soon procured employment as a cabinet-maker, with the P., W. & B. R. R. Co. in Wilmington, and for about forty years was one of the most efficient workinen employed by the company. The

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children of Mr. and Mrs. Karch were: I. Mary (Mrs. Charles Kaiser), of Wilmington; II. Jacob D., an employee of the P., W. & B. R. R. Co. for many years, and foreman for thirty-three years, died in Wilmington, Jan- uary 2, 1897; III. Margaret, of Wilmington. Mr. Karch died in Wilmington in April, 1882. His widow still resides in Wilmington, and at the venerable age of ninety-three years is in good health and active in mind and body.

Charles Kaiser, father of Frederick K. Kaiser, was born in Korn, Baden, Germany, and emigrated to this country. He married Mary, daughter of Jacob and Salome (Schaef- fer) Karch, of Germany. They had children: I. Frederick K .; II. A daughter who died in infancy.

Frederick K. Kaiser attended the public schools of Wilmington and was afterward ap- prenticed as a carbuilder with the Bowers & Duerr Co. When he had mastered his trade, he worked as a journeyman for several years. Since 1885 he has been continuously in the employ of the P., W. & B. R. R. Co., and since January, 1897, has been foreman of the cabinet making department of its busy shops. Mr. Kaiser is a member of Washington lodge, No. 1, K. of P. ITis political views are those of the Democratic party.

On January 29, 1895, Frederick K. Kaiser was married to Mary E. Ebert, of York, Pa.

THE REV . PATRICK KENNY, the first priest of the Roman Catholic church in the state of Delaware, was born in County Dublin, Ireland, June 6, 1763, and was edu- cated at the College of St. Sulpice, in Paris, France. In the summer of 1804, he joined a company of emigrants bound for Winning- ton, Del. On his arrival he found the heat so overpowering that he decided to return, by the vessel from which he had so recently dis- embarked, to the balmy climate of his former home. A completed passenger list obliged him to wait, and the weather becoming more agree- able, he was induced to remain in this country, which he finally adopted as his home.

Until 1808, Father Kenny lived in the fam- ily of Anthony Hearn, at Rocky Hill,in Gosh- en, about three miles east of West Chester, Chester county, Pa. In March, 1805, he took possession of Coffee Run, a farm at White Clay Creek, New Castle county, Del., having made an agreement with the Jesuits, who

owned the property, and had built a small log church there in 1790. On April 7 of the same year, Father Kenny again visited White Clay Creek to arrange for the service in the church there, the congregation "insuring 8 1. per one Sunday per month through the year." This church, built under the direction of the late Rev. Jn. Rosseter, O. S. A., was dedi- cated "to the service of Lord God under the in- tercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary d'As- sumption;" the churchyard adjoining was di- vided into lots, and many of the Catholic de- parted were laid therein. On September 11, 1808, Father Kenny removed from. Mr. Hearn's house to Coffee Run, where he lived until the time of his death. An examination of his diary, begun March 25, 1805, reveals the fact that he practiced the most rigid economy, and that he had but little time at his disposal, either for recreation or study, a large portion of his life having been passed away from home, and no inconsiderable part of it spent on the roads. The hardships and privations endured by Father Kenny can not be estimated by one unfamiliar with the coun- try over which he traveled. He attended reg- ularly five stations and one church, included in three counties and in two states. As the congregations were small and the members, with few exceptions, poor, the priest had a very laborious and poorly rewarded vocation. Much of his traveling was on horseback, the nature of the roads and the state of his finances forbidding him the use of a vehicle. Ile, therefore suffered greatly both from the heat, to which he was very susceptible, and from the icy blasts of winter, to which he was, from physical infirmity, keenly sensitive. In his diary, Father Konny mentions the following stations: West Chester, May 5, 1805; as this entry refers to a quarterly payment it is evi- dent that he served this station prior to this date; the house of Jolm Dorat, Londonderry township, Chester county, Pa., May 26, 1805; New Castle, Del., July 28, 1805; Wilming- ton, Del., November 25, 1805, when he bap- tized some French families, but did not cele- brate Mass until May 8, 1806; the home of Judge Wilcox, October 13, 1805. The sta- tions at West Chester, Coffee Run, New Cas- tle, and Mr. John Keating's house, Wilming- ton, were attended once a month ; John Dorat's house, in Londonderry township, once in three months; and the house of Judge Wilcox, at

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first, once in three months, but afterwards monthly. On the day after the new church at Wilmington was blessed by him, Father Kenny made the following agreement with the trustees:

"Wilmington, September 13, 1818.

"At a meeting of the members of the Catho- lic Church of St. Peter held therein this day.

I. Resolved, that the members of St. Peter's Church, in Wilmington, do agree unanimous- ly to pay to a Clergyman twelve dollars for every Sunday he performs service therein. Their wish is to have church four Sundays in the month, if possible, if not four, three, if not three, say two certain.

II. Resolved, by the members of the Church, that the Rev. Doctor Dubarth, of Philadelphia, will please to grant this congre- gation their request.

Signed by the committee appointed, William Larkin, Arthur Murphy."

A few years afterwards, this congregation desired to have more frequent services than his duties, at his other stations, would permit.

In addition to the labors at his various mis- sions, Father Kenny tilled his own farm and garden, himself performing all the manual work. His old fashioned Dearborn wagon, covered by a white muslin cloth, in which he sat surrounded by all kinds of farm produce, was a sight familiar to all the residents of Wil- mington and its vicinity. In 1824 this ve- hiele was replaced by a "snug, good Dearborn, very cheap at $24, although it had seen consid- erable service." This wagon, after some reno- vation, maintained a prominent position in the history of Coffee Run, in whose records it is frequently mentioned.

Father Kenny was a little below medium height, but robust and well-proportioned. His tailor, Francis Breen, was poorly supplied with fashion plates, and Father Kenny, when at- tired in a suit of his manufacture, and a tall broad-brimmed hat, resembled a Quaker rath- er than a priest.

The Rev. Patrick Kenny's devout piety and devotion to duty commanded the respect of Catholics and Protestants. His rigid sense of honor and duty led him to condemn unhesi- tatingly the slightest trickery or immorality. His denunciations, however, were so tempered by real kindness that they rarely excited angry feelings. Father Kenny dearly loved chil-

dren, who recognized their friend and amply repaid his faithful care. He was a thoughtful student, and true to his unselfish nature he hastened to place his books at the disposal of his friends and neighbors. In 1799 Father Kenny was seriously ill with what was called "spoted or putred fever." This illness re- sulted in an uleerated leg, from which he suf- fered until the time of his death. This afflic- tion, however, neither interfered with the regular discharge of his duties nor changed his easy, cheerful disposition. His own ac- count of his sufferings, followed often in the next paragraph by some facetious sally, excites alternate feelings of pity and amusement. At the end of each year, Father Kenny regularly offered his thanks to God, "both for His mer- cies and for such adversities as He, in His wis- dom, thought proper to bestow upon him," and frequently called upon God to grant him pa- tience to endure his painful affliction.

During his connection with the church at Wilmington, Father Kenny was accustomed to ride or drive into town on Saturday. He boarded with Mrs. Andre Noel, an estimable colored woman; his horse was cared for at McGee's tavern, a well-known hostelry, for a long time the Swan Hotel, now the Gibson House, situated on Fourth street, between Market and Shipley streets, Wilmington, Del.

Father Kenny is buried in the graveyard attached to the old log church at Coffee Run, where he had labored so faithfully for thirty- five years. The stone which marks his grave bears this inscription :

"Sacred to the memory of the Rev. Pat- riek Kenny, born in the county of Dublin, Ireland, and for nearly forty years pastor of the church of St. Peter, Wilmington, who died on the 21st of March, 1840, aged seventy- nine years, revered and regretted. R. I. P."

THIE VERY REV. PATRICK REILLY, V. G., first pastor of St. Mary's Roman Catho- lic Church, Wilmington, Del., was born at Curdala, parish of Kilmore, County Cavan, Ireland, October 11, 1807. His father and his maternal grandfather, Edward Brady, were tolerably successful as manufacturers of cot- ton and woolen goods, but their trade, al- ready suffering from the baleful effects of the Union, was so injured by Napoleon's embargo, that, following the example of their neigh- bors, the whole family emigrated to the United

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States, where they settled in northern Phila- delphia. Here they resumed business with every prospect of success. For some time, young Reilly assisted his parents in the mill, and in the discharge of his duties showed a thoughtful, self-denying disposition. Serious books were a delight to him, and while read- ing one of these books a chapter on "Hell" - made such an impression upon him that, for three days and three nights, he could scarcely think of anything else. This chapter decided his vocation. Only as a priest could he hope to influence men to their salvation, therefore he would enter the ministry. But how could he, an ignorant Irish boy, employed in a little Kensington mill, obtain not only an ordinary education, but the special training required to qualify him for the priesthood? This was in- deed a difficult problem, but God provided the way. About this time some young men from New York, among them John Kelly, came to complete their studies at the Seminary in Philadelphia. The seminary building being too small to accommodate the students, some found places in private families, and Mr. Kelly was recommended by the Bishop to make his home with Patrick's father. The young men were soon warm friends. John Kelly, who had been an instructor in Ireland, found little difficulty in teaching his friend the Latin language, in which he made such rapid progress that in a comparatively short time Patrick Reilly entered, with his friend, the Seminary of Mt. St. Mary's, then the best ecclesiastical college in the United States. The last night at home was spent by Patrick in saying farewell to his numerous relatives. Many of them regarded his project with misgiving, and not a few of his younger friends made fun of his "voca- tion," and laughingly declared that he would soon tire of the stern realities of seminary life, and be glad to return to them. Their light words deeply impressed the boy, and on his way to his home, pondering deeply upon the nature of the solemn step that he was about to take, he was unable to control his emotions, and falling on his knees, under the open sky, he bared his head and, calling the stars to wit- ness his vow, he solemnly renounced the world with all its allurements, and pledged himself thenceforward to devote every faculty to the active service of his Master, and the salvation of his fellow-men. This consecration put an

end to doubt and hesitation, and not for a single instant did he regret his choice.

At Mt. St. Mary's, the ecclesiastical stu- dents, when well qualified for the work, acted as assistant professors among the lay students. Young Reilly had a natural taste for the ex- act sciences, and was so successful as a teacher of mathematics that the Rev. Mr. Corry, Vice- President of the College, considered him one of the most efficient instructors who had ever had charge of that department. Among his classmates were Cardinal McClosky, Arch- bishop Hughes, Father Sourin, and many other distinguished ecclesiasties.

In 1831, the seminary at Philadelphia hav- ing been enlarged, Mr. Reilly returned to that city, where, after a three years' course, he was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Ken- rick, August 24, 1834. He celebrated his first mass at St. Augustine's, Fourth street, and the pastor of that church, Rev. Father Hurley, a friend of his parents, desired him to join the Order of St. Augustine. Father Reilly, however, feeling himself under deep obligations to Bishop Kenrick for his admnis- sion to the Philadelphia Seminary, did not consider himself at liberty to leave the diocese.

Previous to his ordination, Father Reilly had gone on a solemn retreat to his old semi- nary, Mt. St. Mary's. One day at dinner, he attracted the favorable attention of Father Carrol, afterwards Bishop of Covington, Ky., then pastor of Wilmington, Del. Father Car- · rol, who was thinking of joining the Order of the Jesuits, and seeking a successor, was so pleased with the young student that he at once applied to Bishop Kenriek for the appoint- ment. Three months after this, at the close of a short mission at Trenton and Pleasant Mills, N. J., Father Reilly was appointed pastor of Wilmington, Del., where he remained until his death, fifty-one years afterwards. Besides Wilmington, Father Reilly had charge of Coffee Run and New Castle, and for more than thirty years visited these places periodi- cally, usually making the journey on foot. Hearing that the Irish laborers on the Havre de Grace division of the Philadelphia, Wil- mington and Baltimore Railroad had no means of approaching the sacraments, he frequently walked the nineteen miles a day to minister to them. Such devotion was not lost upon these honest fellows, who presented him with a horse and gig as a token of their appreciation.

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In 1840, at the request of a number of par- ents whose daughters were under the care of Sisters of Charity, Father Reilly opened his school for boys. He was a born teacher, and never felt more at home than in the school room. He was not only a thorough scholar, but a lover of boys who understood their na- ture and joined in their sports. ITis school throve, and was several times enlarged, until in 1845, Father Reilly's, of Wilmington, Del., was well-known in Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York. Stimulated by his success, Father Kelly yielded to the entreaties of his friends, decided to make his school a college and applied for a charter. The legislature of Delaware, at first unwilling to charter a Roman Catholic College, influenced by the glowing eulogium of Catholic schools uttered by a Protestant member, Senator Spear- man, whose daughter had been educated at Emmettsburg, granted the charter; $40,000 were raised and the college was built. With- in ten years its training had enabled thirty young men to enter the seminaries with dis- tinction; among its graduates were Arch- bishop Corrigan, Dr. Henry Brann and other eminent clergymen of New York, Baltimore and Boston. The enterprise was not, except in its earlier years, a financial success. Owing to the Civil war, and various other causes, among them the inability of the founder to continue his personal supervision, St. Mary's College declined and was at last sold for $40,000, thus covering the original mortgage.

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Biographical and genealogical history of the state of Delaware, Vol. I, Part 51

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