Biographical and genealogical history of the state of Delaware, Vol. I, Part 89

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 89

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Mr. Downham's paternal grandfather, Jo- seph G. Downham, farmer, was born Febru- ary 17, 1791, and was married to Anne Bailey, who was born June 20, 1799. Mr. Downham and his wife were members of the M. E. church. He died February 16, 1861; his widow died June 21, 1876. Mr. Downham's maternal grandfather, David Onins, born March 24, 1783, was captain of an ocean ves- sel, and was afterwards engaged in farming. He was married to Martha Merrick, who was born October 23, 1796. Mr. Onins died Feb- raary 14, 1846; his wife died May 17, 1845.

The Rev. John Downham, a preacher of the M. E. church, was born in Kent county, Del., May 11, 1823, son of Joseph G. and Anne (Bailey) Downham. Besides attending faithfully to his ecclesiastical labors, he owned and cultivated a farm. He was a Republican, interested in all the affairs of his native coun- ty. John Downham was married to Martha Onins, also a native of Kent county, Del., born December 13, 1827. Their children are: I. MeKendree; II. Anna Louisa (Mrs. John A. MeColley), of Jeffersonville, Ind., died in 1888; III. Hannah Onins (Mrs. William L. Davis), of Delaware; IV. Martha Emma, died aged sixteen; V. Kate (Mrs. C. T. Downs), of Delaware; VI. Rose (Mrs. Thomas M. Joseph), Los Angeles, Cal .; VII. Mary Grant (Mrs. E. II. Barmore), of Los Angeles, Cal .; VIII. Clara (Mrs. E. S. Muir), of Indianapo- lis, Ind. The Rev. John Downham died Feb- ruary 2, 1882; his widow resides in Los An- geles, Cal .; she is a member of the M. E. church.

MeKendree Downham, eldest child of Rev. John and Martha (Onins) Downham, attend- ed Milford Classical Academy and Felton Seminary, completing his scholastic course at Dover Conference Academy. After teaching for some time in different schools in the coun- ty, Mr. Downham was elected principal of the high school at Seaford, Del. He afterwards accepted the principalship of the Georgetown Academy, Georgetown, Del. At the end of ten years of efficient management he resigned this position to become the editor of the Sus- sex Journal. Since March 4, 1895, he has edited the Middletown Transcript. Mr. Down-

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ham is a Republican, and is actively interested in the affairs of the county. During ex-Presi- dent Harrison's administration, he was chief of the Bureau of Pensions, in Washington, D. C., and in 1889, he was a member of the Dela- ware General Assembly. Mr. Downham is Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Delaware, A. F. and A. M., and Past Sachem, and l'ast Representative to the Great Coun- cil of W. S., of Delaware, I. O. R. M. Mr. Downham is a member of the M. E. church.

CALEB JOHNSON FREEMAN, Mid- dletown, New Castle county, Del., son of John Wesley and Araminta (Johnson) Free- man, was born at Elkton, Cecil county, Md., August 27, 1842.

Mr. Freeman's father, John W. Freeman, carpenter and builder, was born near Elkton, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. He was an old line Whig. John W. Freeman was married to Araminta Johnson, also a native of Elkton Md., where her whole life was spent. Their children are: I. John M., deceased; II. C. J .; III. Anna E. The latter two reside in Middletown, Del. Mr. Freeman and his wife were members of the M. E. church. He died at Middletown, Del., in 1887, and is buried at Elkton, Md. Mrs. Freeman died at Elkton in 1865, aged fifty-five.

Caleb Johnson Freeman attended the pub- lic schools of Cecil county, Md., until he reached his thirteenth year, when he began to learn printing in the office of his uncle, C. P. Johnson, at Wilmington, Del. Since 1853, Mr. Freeman has been continuously engaged in printing. He is a skilful workman, and has been employed in some of the largest publish- ing houses in the country. Ilis success in business is mainly due to the durability and artistic beauty of the work done in the large establishment of which he is the owner.

Caleb Johnson Freeman was married, in 1853, at Dover, Del., to Susan Kinsley, who died six months after their marriage.

GEORGE G. CHAMBERLAINE, M. D., Middletown, Del., son of Henry and Henri- etta Elizabeth (Gale) Chamberlaine, was born in Cecil county, Md., September 9, 1821.

The Chamberlaine family is of old English stock and its members are among the best citi- zens of Maryland.

The first member of the family who settled

in America was a native of England, and came to Oxford, Talbot county, Md., early in the eighteenth century. He was appointed by the English goverment collector of the port at Oxford. Ilis son, Chamberlaine, was born near Oxford, and became a farmer in Talbot county, where he died. He married Miss Holliday. Their children were: I. James; II. Henry; III. Lloyd; IV. Samue !; V. Harriet; and two other daughters of whose nanies there is no record. All are deceased. Henry Chamberlaine, the second son of this family, and the father of Dr. George G. Chamberlaine, was born on the homestead farm (known as the Bonfield farm), in Talbot county. When a young man he went to Cecil county and was engaged in farming there for the remainder of his life. He died while on a visit to his birthplace. Henry Chamberlaine married Henrietta Elizabeth Gale, who was of English descent. They had six children; I. Henry deceased, married Mary Ann Cham- bers, and, after her death, Miss White; II. Anna Marie, deceased; III. Henrietta, de- ceased; IV. George Anna, wife of William Murphy, of Baltimore; V. Sarah Rebecca, wife of Rev. Richard Whittingham, of New York; VI. George G .; VII. Samuel Lloyd, of Cecil county.

George G. Chamberlaine was born on the banks of the Susquehanna river, where it flows into the Chesapeake Bay. He attended private schools in Cecil county, and Delaware College, Newark, Del. He read medicine with Dr. John Wilson Moore, of Philadel- phia, and was graduated from the Medical Department of the University of Pennsyl- vania in 1848. Ile immediately began the practice of his profession in Philadelphia. After six years there, he went to Chester coun- ty, Pa., where he remained three years. He spent a like period in Cecil county, Md., and then moved to Middletown. Here he has lived thirty-eight years, thirty of which were devoted to the active practice of his profes- sion. For the past eight years he has led a retired life, and during this time it must have been pleasant to him to call up in review many events of his successful career as a phy- sician. He is widely known, his skill has been unquestioned, his charity unbounded; his kindliness and his cheery manner have carried hope to the sufferer and strength to the con- valescent, and he never fails of a hearty greet-

SMHIOL MALIAO

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BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

ing from the many who are glad to know that he is their friend. He is a member of the State Medical Society of Delaware. He was originally a Whig, but since the dissolution of that party he has been a follower of the Democracy.

On April 6, 1852, in Philadelphia, Dr. George G. Chamberlaine was married to Mar- garet Ginther. Their living children are: I. Rev. Henry, rector of St. Matthew's P. E. church, of New York City, born January 26, 1854; II. George, merchant of New York City, born January 25, 1858; III. Alfred M., druggist, of Middletown; IV. Samuel Lloyd, banker of New York City, born August 31, 1864. Mrs. Margaret Chamberlaine died September 11, 1874. Dr. Chamberlaine mar- ried, September 28, 1876, Alice Lavinia, daughter of Richard W. and Catherine (Shall- cross) Cochran, of Middletown, Del. They have one child, Herbert C., born December 13, 1881. Dr. Chamberlaine is a member of the P. E. church.

Alfred M. Chamberlaine, third son of Dr. George G. Chamberlaine, was born in Mid- dletown, September 2, 1860. He was edu- cated in the public schools and in Middle- town Academy. He learned the drug busi- ness, and for fifteen years has conducted a well-equipped pharmacy in Middletown. He is a Democrat, and a member of the P. E. church.

GEORGE W. W. NAUDAIN, Middle- town, New Castle county, Del., son of Elias and Martha (Eliason) Naudain, was born near Hillsboro, Highland county, Ohio, September 26, 1838.

Mr. Naudain is a lineal descendant of Elias Naudain, who was born in Poiteau, France, in 1655, and in 1681, to escape the persecu- tion of the Huguenots which followed the re- vocation of the edict of Nantes, fled with his wife, Gahel Armand, and his three children, to England, where he spent the remainder of his life. In 1698 Elias Naudain, 2, son of Elias Naudain, left England for America where he settled on Blackbird Creek, New Castle county, Del., and in 1715 built the spacious brick mansion which is still standing.

John Nandain, farmer, grandfather of George W. W. Naudain, was born, in 1780, in New Castle county, Del., and was married to Catherine Baker, who died in 1816. Mr. John Nandain died in 1827.

Mr. Naudain's maternal grandfather, John Eliason, farmer, was born in 1776, and was married to Mary Davis, who was born in 1781 and died in 1823. Mr. Eliason died in 1827.

Elias Naudain, farmer, son of John and Catherine (Baker) Naudain, and father of George W. W. Naudain, was born near Odessa, Del., in 1801. He was a Whig. Elias Naudain was married to Martha, daughter of John and Mary ( Davis) Eliason. Mrs. Naudain was born in 1806, near Noxin- town, New Castle county, Del. Their children are: I. Mary Catherine; II. Robert M .; III. George W. W .; IV. Martha J .; V. Thomas N .; VI. Corbit E. All are married. Mr. Naudain and his wife were members of the M. E. church. Both died at their home near Hillsboro, Highland county, Ohio, in the same year, 1855.

George W. W. Naudain was educated in the public schools of Highland county, Ohio. In 1858, Mr. Naudain became a clerk in the store of his uncle, John A. Eliason, at Middle- town, Del., and, in 1865, at the death of his uncle, succeeded to the business. Mr. Nau- dain was a successful merchant, and in 1888 retired from the labors of mercantile life. IIe is, however, actively interested in the wel- fare of the county. He was one of the organ- izers of the Peoples' National Bank, of Mid- dletown, in December, 1883, and afterwards became its president. Since its organization, in 1892, he has been president of the Middle- town Improvement Company, a corporation which has proved a blessing to the people of that town. During the Rebellion, Mr. Nan- dain was a soldier in the Fifth Delaware Vol- unteers. He has always been a stanch Repub- lican. Mr. Naudain is a member of Union Lodge, No. 5, A. F. and A. M.

In 1869, George W. W. Naudain was mar- ried to Kate, daughter of Andrew and Lydia (C'ann) Eliason. Mrs. Naudain's father, An- drew Eliason, farmer, was born in 1810, and died in 1891. The children of George W. W. and Kate (Eliason) Naudain are: I. Lily (Mrs. Willard S. Biggs); II. Helen; III. Katherine. Mr. Naudain is a Presbyterian. For twenty-five years he has been a member of the board of trustees of the Forest church.

WILLIAM ROTHWELL REYNOLDS, Middletown, Del., son of William and Martha C. (Rothwell) Reynolds, was born in Newark, Del., December 4, 1862.

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STATE OF DELAWARE

The Reynolds family, one of the oldest in Delaware, is of English origin, and may claim consanguinity with the celebrated painter, Sir Joshua Reynolds. The first of the family who settled in this country was Richard Rey- nolds, a representative of the sixth generation, beginning with William R. Reynolds and counting backwards. He was born in Eng- land, and became a resident of New Castle county, Del., about 1700, taking grants of land in that part of the country now known as Appoquinimink hundred. He devoted the remainder of his life to the management and cultivation of his lands; at the time of his death, he was the largest landed proprietor of his vicinity. He died in Appoquinimink hun- dred, and was interred in the family burial ground.

Ilis son, William Reynolds, was born, passed his life and died in Appoquinimink hundred. He was also a farmer, giving his attention principally to the cultivation of grain, and the breeding of stock. He had sev- eral children, among whom was William Rey- nolds, who was born on the Reynolds home- stead, educated in the schools of the neighbor- hood, and like his father and grandfather, was throughout life a farmer of Appoquinimink hundred. His remains are buried at Church- town, Bohemia Manor, Cecil county, Md.

John A. Reynolds, son of William Rey- nolds, was born December 4, 1813, in Saint George's hundred. He was engaged in farm- ing until 1860, when he entered into partner- ship with his son, William Reynolds, in the mercantile business, in Newark, Del. After carrying on the business in that place for four years, they removed to Middletown; here John A. Reynolds continued his participation in the general mercantile interest until 1868, when he retired from active life; he died March 5, 1898. John A. Reynolds married Mary, daughter of Samuel and Martha Moore, of New Castle hundred; her brother, Washington E. Moore, was sheriff of New Castle county in 1840. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds are: I. William, married Martha C. Rothwell; II. John A., of Arkan- sas, married Charlotte Bower, of Pencader hundred; III. Edward, of Middletown, mar- ried Mary Jemima Naudain, of Saint George's hundred; IV. Samuel M., of Middletown, married Mary Frances Cochran, of Saint George's hundred.

William Reynolds, 2, the eldest of this fam- ily, was born in Newark, Del., December 6, 1836. Ile spent his early life in his native town, completing his education in Delaware College. Ile continued to reside with his father until 1861, when, as already related, they became partners in business. In 1873, William Reynolds sold his interest in the store, removed to Wilmington, and began business there as a real estate conveyancer and collector. In the same year, he was ap- pointed Treasurer of the Poor of New Castle county; he filled that office for three years, after which he resigned it. In 1874, he re- ceived from Gov. Ponder the appointment of adjutant general of the state of Delaware, and held that office up to the time of his death. Mr. Reynolds was a Democrat, and was warm- ly interested in the affairs of his party, and zealous for its success; he was a fluent speaker, and maintained his political princi- ples with effective eloquence. IIe was a mem- ber in good standing of the I. O. O. F. Wil- liam Reynolds was married, November 2, 1861, to Martha C., daughter of Major Wil- liam and Lydia (Price) Rothwell. Their children are: I. William Rothwell; II. Mary Moore (Mrs. Jacob S. Cochran), of Saint George's hundred; III. Francis Irving, of Philadelphia, married Susan S. Williams; IV. Alexander II., of Middletown; V. Vietor G., of Middletown. William Reynolds die.l March 2, 1877; after his death, Mrs. Rey- nolds removed to Middletown, where she died, January 12, 1886. She is remembered with affection by her family as a faithful wife and mother, and by her fellow members of the Presbyterian church, and her friends in gen- eral, as a woman of many excellencies and at- tractions.

After receiving a thorough educational training in the private school under the care of Prof. William 1. Reynolds, and in the academies of Newark and Middletown, Wil- liam Rothwell Reynolds applied himself to legal studies, his preceptor being the Hon. George Gray, of Wihnington, Del. On May 6, 1897, he received the appointment of no- tary publie, and was appointed justice of the peace September 27, in the same year. In the fulfilment of his publie duties, he has shown such ability, good judgment and judi- cial impartiality as to merit the further honor of being elected alderman of the city, con-

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BIOGRAPHIICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

ferred upon him early in 1898. Mr. Reynolds gives his support to Democratie views and measures. He is a member of the Forest Presbyterian church, of Middletown.

WILLIAM F. KENNEDY, M. D., Mid- dletown, Del., son of Rev. George W. and Sarah Matilda (Hardcastle) Kennedy, was born in Milford, Del., November 18, 1852.

The Kennedy family originated in Scot- land. The doctor's grandfather, Francis Kennedy, was a farmer, a native of New Lon- don, Pa. His death at the age of thirty-three was caused by an accident; while "logging" in the woods during the winter, a log fell upon him and caused the bursting of a blood-ves-el. His son, George W. Kennedy, was at that time only three years old. While still very young, the boy was received into the charge of his uncle, Robert Kennedy, a merchant of Phil- adelphia, and in that city he obtained his pri- mary education, and was prepared for college. Ile studied at Princeton University, was grad- uated from the classical and entered the the- ological department; at a later day the degree of doctor of divinity was conferred upon him by the New Windsor College, of New Wind- sor, Md. As soon as he had been ordained as a minister of the Presbyterian church, he came to Delaware, where he labored for sev- eral years in Sussex county, Del., and Caro- line county, Md .; from this field he was called to Lebanon, Ky .; after preaching the gospel there for some years, he removed to Milford, and organized a Presbyterian church in that town. During the time of his ministry in Mil- ford, which covered a period of about seven years, the congregation erected a house of worship, in which they often heard the words of life from this faithful pastor. He also or- ganized a seminary for young ladies in Mil- ford; some among its pupils are now the wives of prominent citizens of Delaware. About this time, Mr. Kennedy was appointed gen- eral agent for the American Tract Society of Baltimore, Md., and removed to Trappe and subsequently to Oxford, Talbot county, V.l. He labored in this capacity until the begin- ning of the Civil War, when he was appointed by the New Castle Presbytery as colporteur cf the Peninsula. He subsequently removed to Greensboro, Caroline county, Md., for a short time, and, then to Smyrna, Del., where, be- sides his colporteur work, he supplied the

Presbyterian church of that town for about five years. But the decline of life approached, lastened by the fatigues of his unremitting labors, and in 1875 Rev. Dr. Kennedy was obliged to retire from the work of the minis- try; he and his excellent wife passed their later days with their son, Dr. Kennedy, in Middletown. The first wife of Rev. Dr. Ken- nedy, whom he married in Lebanon, Ky., was Miss Jennings, of that place; they had two children: I. Stiles Kennedy, M. D., of St. Louis, Mich .; II. Ellen (Mrs. John Lewis), de- ceased. The mother of these children died in her native state. Rev. Dr. Kennedy after- wards married Sarah Matilda, daughter of William M. and Anna (Coulston) Hardcastle; Mr. Hardcastle was a farmer of Caroline county, Md., where the marriage took place; he lived to the age of ninety-seven years. The children of this marriage are: Anna Natalie (Mrs. Robert B. Wilson), of Chester, Pa .; II. Dr. William Francis Kennedy. Environed by filial love and care, the parents passed gen- tly from earth, the father dying at the home of their son, April 4, 1887, and the mother, February 20, 1892, in that of their daughter, Mrs. Wilson. Rev. Dr. Kennedy was a worthy son of the church, a faithful worker, and a talented preacher; he was noted as one of the most able extempore speakers of his day. His political views were Democratic. Both he and his wife were interred in Forest cemetery, Saint George's hundred, New Cas- tle county, Del.

The early education of William Francis Kennedy was carried on in the public schools of Oxford and of Caroline county, Md., and in the academy at Newark, Del., under Prof. Porter. After leaving school, he resided with his parents at Smyrna, where he read medi- cine, Charles Mahon, M. D., being his precep- tor, a practitioner of the homoeopathic school. Three and a half years of study prepared him for graduation in the Hahnemann Medical College, of Philadelphia, which took place March 10, 1873. His first two years of prac- tiee were passed at Elkton, Md. In the fall of 1874, Dr. Kennedy came to Middletown; he was the second homoeopathic physician to become a resident of the town. Here he prac- ticed without interruption until 1892, when he went to San Francisco, Cal., but on ac- count of ill health, remained there only six months. Returning in the same year to Del-

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STATE OF DELAWARE

aware, he practiced in Wilmington until 1895; he then resumed practice in Middle- town, where he has since cared successfully for the physical welfare of a large circle of patients. He is widely known in New Castle county, as was his revered father, and is es- teemed wherever known. Dr. Kennedy is closely attentive to the duties of his profes- sion, not seeking any public office, although he is interested in the affairs of the town, and holds Democratie opinions.

Dr. William F. Kennedy was married in Washington, D. C., September 24, 1888, to Rose Lee, daughter of Thomas P. and C'ath- erine Evans; she was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and came to Washington when very young. Their children are: I. Dorothy, born July 12, 1889; II. Thomas Evans, born May 26, 1896. Dr. Kennedy is a member of the Presbyterian church.

CHARLES A. RITCHIE, M. D., Middle- town, Del., son of Archibald and Agnes (Mor- gan) Ritchie, was born in Zanesville, Mus- kingum county, Ohio, December 19, 1870.

His father was born near Glasgow, Scot- land, in 1842. He was one of fourteen chil- dren, and was educated in the schools of the vicinity. A member of a large family in a community where the opportunities for ma- terial advancement were few, his ambition led lim to America in 1862. He landed from a sailing vessel in Philadelphia, and pushed westward as far as Sharon, Pa., where he found employment as a miner. There he worked for ten years in the coal mines, the latter part of his term of service as a foreman. Thence he went to Zanesville, Ohio, where he found employment in the foundry and ma- chine shop of Griffith & Wedge as a moulder. He has remained there ever since, the last fourteen years as foreman of the moulding department. He is an ardent Republican, but has never sought an office. Archibald Ritchie was married in Sharon, to Agnes, daughter of Thomas Morgan. Mrs. Ritchie was born in Scotland in 1846, and came with her parents to this country when very young. Mr. and Mrs. Ritchie had these children: I. Mary, died in infancy; II. Mary, single; III. Charles A .; IV. Eve, of Philadelphia; V. Earle, jeweler, Zanesville, Ohio. Mrs. Ritchie and family are members of the Bap- tist church of Zanesville. Mr. Morgan, fa-

ther of Mrs. Ritchie, was a coal miner in Sharon for many years. He was killed in the Civil War.

Charles A. Ritchie, M. D., attended the publie schools of Zanesville, and was grad- uated from the high school in 1887, after which he went to Philadelphia and obtained a position as clerk in the grocery store of Mr. Baxendine, where he remained about two years. Then he began the study of medicine with Dr. William Jefferson Greensey and spent three years in his office. He followed this training with a three years' course in Hahnemann Medical College, Philadelphia, during which time he assisted his preceptor, who was a valued friend of the young Ohio student. In 1895 Mr. Ritchie was graduated, and immediately began the practice of his pro- fession in Middletown, Del. Although he was without acquaintance or influence there his untiring labor and close attention to his duties soon secured for him an extensive prac- tice. His genial manner makes him popular, and he is held in high esteem because of his skill in his profession, and his strong charac- ter. Dr. Ritchie is a member of the Homoeo- pathic Medical Society of Delaware and the Peninsula, and of the Middletown A. O. U. W., of which he is medical examiner. He is an enthusiastic believer in the doctrines of the Republican party, and an effective worker in its ranks.

Dr. Charles A. Ritchie was married in June, 1896, in Philadelphia, to Jennie, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Whiteman) Shipley, of Philadelphia. He is a member of the M. E. church, of Middletown, and presi- dent of the Epworth League.

WILLIAM E. BARNARD, D. D. S., Middletown, Del., son of Norris and Martha 1. (Baker) Barnard, was born near Still Pond, Kent county, Md., August 3, 1869.

The Barnard family is of English descent, and has many representatives in both Penn- sylvania and in Maryland. Elihu Barnard, grandfather of Dr. William E. Barnard, was a farmer and a preacher of the Society of Friends. He died in Chester county, Pa. One of his sons was Norris Barnard, father of Dr. William E. Barnard. ITe was educated in Chester county schools and at Pennington Seminary, New Jersey, and when a young man, taught school in Kent county, Md., for

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Biographical and genealogical history of the state of Delaware, Vol. I, Part 89

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