Biographical and genealogical history of the state of Delaware, Vol. I, Part 90

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 90

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).

nta sido

560

BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

several years. Afterwards he established himself in the nursery and fruit-growing bus- iness near Russellville, Chester county, Pa., and remained there until 1865, when he dis- posed of his property and invested in a tract of 450 acres on the Chesapeake Bay, near Still Pond, Kent county Md. He started a nursery there, and began raising all kinds of fruit on a large scale. His business soon at- tained immense proportions, and his nursery became known all over the country. Ile im- proved his farm greatly, and erected a dwell- ing house at a cost of $6,500. For land and improvements, he expended $50,000. He was a man of enterprise, and among other pro- jeets, formed a stock company, of which he was the largest stock holder and the president, to build the wharf on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay, known as Barnard's wharf. HIe went out in the militia as a soldier in the Civil War to protect the state, was sworn into the army before the battle, and was assigned to a company in the Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He was in the battles of Antietam and Gettysburg, and left the army with a creditable record. Norris Barnard was a Re- publican for many years, but left his party to become an ardent champion of the temper- ance cause as represented by the Prohibition party. He was always temperate in his habits, never having used tobacco or any al- coholic drink, and endeavored to implant similar habits of total abstinence in his fel- lows. He was a Prohibition candidate for the assembly, and again for the senate of Mary- land, but was not elected. Mr. Barnard also took a deep interest in educational matters. A good scholar himself, he recognized the value of education to the coming generations, and urged its advancement. He strongly advocated free text books for the public schools of Maryland. He died on his farm in 1892, and is buried in the M. E. cemetery at Still Pond, Md. He was universally respected for his fearless advocacy of his views upon public questions, and for his honorable, up- right dealings with his fellowmen. Norris Barnard was married to Martha A., daughter of Jacob and Lydia (Lamborn) Baker, of Avondale, Chester county, Pa. They had seven children: I. Mary L., wife of W. F. Collins, merchant, of Cheswold, Del. ; II. Anna R., wife of Edward A. Evans, farmer, of Cheswold, Del .; III. Sarah E., (Mrs.

Thomas D. Garrison); IV. William E .; V. Elizabeth, died young; VI. Louis M., mer- chant of Middletown; VII. Esther. Mr. Barnard belonged to the Society of Friends in his younger days, but later joined the M. E. church, of which he was an officer and a con- sistent member. His widow is living in Ches- wold, Del. With her children, she is a mem- her of the M. E. church. Mrs. Barnard was born near Avondale, Chester county, Pa. Her parents were natives of that county, and of English descent; her father was an exten- sive lime burner and dairyman.

Dr. William E. Barnard was taught his first lessons by a governess at his home. Later he attended the public schools of Kent county, Md., and then took a two years' course in the Conference Academy at Dover, after which he studied dentistry with R. II. John, D. D. S., a cousin, at Avondale, Chester county, Pa. IIe remained in his office three years, after- ward attending lectures in the dental depart- ment of the University of Pennsylvania. He was graduated in 1890 and practiced his pro- fession for two years in Still Pond, Md. In 1892, he came to Middletown and has built up a large practice in New Castle county. Dr. Barnard is a genial companion and a pop- ular citizen. He is a member of Union Lodge, No. 5, A. F. and A. M .; Sassafras Lodge, No. 120, K. of P., of the I. O. G. T., and of the I. O. II. In polities he is classed as a liberal. IIe voted in 1896 for William Mc- Kinley for president. Dr. Barnard was mar- ried, June 20, 1894, to Ethel, daughter of George W. Covington, druggist, of Still Pond, Md. They have one child, a daughter, born July 8, 1898. He is a member of the M. E. church.

IRVING SPENCE VALLANDIGHAM, M. D., Middletown, Del., son of Rev. James Laird and Mary Eliza (Spence) Vallandig- ham, was born at New Lisbon, Columbiana county, Ohio, August 26, 1840.

The family name is Flemish, and was orig- inally written Van Llandighem. The pioneer immigrant of the name, Michael Van Llandig- hem, was born in Flanders, and came to Vir- ginia, where, having become a large land owner, he passed the remainder of his life. One of his descendants, George Vallandig- ham, was Dr. Vallandigham's great-grand- father, and was born in Augusta, Va., in

I to poly on ate as alt an Fredvr ault blind od

Sul te same stolu tetat to elided oulimin

561

STATE OF DELAWARE

1738. Ile was an active and prominent per- son, a lawyer and surveyor, and owned much real estate, including 1,000 acres in Youghio- gheny county, Va., which was afterwards transferred to Allegheny county, Pa. George Vallandigham was a colonel in the Continen- tal army, and during the Revolution com- manded three regiments. After the termin- ation of the war, he was appointed to a judge- ship, and upon the revision of the state consti- tution, was elected by the people to the same office. Col. George Vallandigham was mar- ried to Elizabeth, daughter of Col. Joseph and Elizabeth (Dent) Noble, of Prince George's county, Md. They had three daughters, Martha, Nancy and Elizabeth; their sons were: I. George, who was a colonel in the war of 1812; II. Clement. Col. George Vallan- digham, 1, was an elder in the Presbyterian church, and was active in church work. Late in life, he removed to Holmes county, O., where he died, October 4, 1850, and was bur- ied in the same place.

C'lement Vallandigham, son of George and Elizabeth (Noble) Vallandigham, was born at Noblestown, Allegheny county, Pa., March 7, 1778, and received his education at Jeffer- son, now Washington and Jefferson Col- lege, Washington county, Pa., where he graduated in 1804, the president of the college at that time being Rev. Dr. Dunlap. After his graduation from the classical de- partment in 1804, Mr. Vallandigham entered upon the theological course under the Rev. Dr. John MeMillan, and upon its completion, was ordained a minister of the Presbyterian church. He began his ministry at New Lis- bon, O., in May, 1807, and ended it in the same place, with the close of a life spent in the faithful and diligent service of God and of his people, October 21, 1839. Mr. Vallandig- ham had the pleasure of seeing the work pros- per under his eare; his charge included three congregations, which increased greatly during his ministry, and built new houses of worship to accommodate their growing numbers; the congregations were those of New Lisbon, Long Run and Salem. Rev. Clement Vallan- digham was married in Washington county, Pa., in 1807, to Rebecca, daughter of James and Margaret (Sproat) Laird. She was born in 1789; her father was a merchant of Wash- ington county, and was of Scotch descent. Their children were: I. Margaret (Mrs. John Robertson), of Germantown, Montgomery

county, O., whois a widow of eighty-nine years of age, and resides with her son, J. S. Robert- son, JI. D., a well-known physician of Ger- mantown; II. James Laird; III. Hon. Clement L., deceased, who was a prominent lawyer of Dayton, O., and a member of Congress for that district; IV. John L., who was a lawyer of New Lisbon, O., where he died, had been a Whig, and died a Republican, the only mem- ber of that party in the family; V. George Scott, M. D., of New Lisbon, O .; VI. Eliza- beth, who died unmarried; VII. Rebecca, who resides at Newark, Del. Mrs. Clement Val- landigham died at her home in Ohio in 1864; she was a faithful and zealous member of the Presbyterian church, and by her activity, as well as by her good example, greatly aided her husband in his ministerial labors.

James Laird Vallandigham, eldest son of Rev. Clement and Rebecca (Laird) Vallan- digham, was born March 13, 1812, in New Lisbon, Ohio. In early boyhood, he attended a subscription school taught by President McKinley's paternal great-grandfather, the teacher's grandson, William MeKinley, who became the father of the president, being among his schoolmates. Young Vallandigham received from his father his preparation for college, which enabled him to enter the Junior class of Jefferson College at the early age of sixteen. So thorough had been that prepar- ation, and so diligent was the young student, that throughout the two years before his grad- uation, he uniformly maintained a high standing in the class of thirty, nearly all of its members being his seniors in age. He was graduated in 1830, after which he taught at Snow Hill and at Berlin, both in Worcester county, Md., at the same time reading law with Hon. Irving Spence, of Snow Hill. In 1836, he returned to New Lisbon, O., com- pleted his legal course with Hon. A. W. Loomis, of that-state, and was admitted to the bar of Ohio. With a deep interest both in his profession and in politics, with fine intellec- tual endowments, eloquence, and great en- ergy, he practiced for several years with ev- ery prospect of winning both fortune and dis- tinction. But a change came; new feelings, new desires took the place of his worldly am- bitions, and under the stress of clear and strong convictions of duty, Mr. Vallandigham turned his attention to the study of theology. On April 3, 1850, he received his ordination as a minister of the Presbyterian church at

It , !!

mmelt di bet grind ouns Built in agallon

or mele osde fond neest

562

BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

the hands of the Presbytery of Baltimore, Md., and was installed over the congregation known as the Monokin church, Princess Anne, Md., and soon after also over the Reho- both church. Having received a call to the congregations at Newark, Head of Christiana, and White Clay Creek, Del., Mr. Vallandig- hạm resigned his Maryland charge, and on November 30, 1853, removed to Newark. For forty years he continued to be the faith- ful and beloved pastor of the above-named Delaware congregations, resigning first, in 1860, that of Newark, and holding, after the meeting of the presbytery at Lewes, in 1875, that of Head of Christiana alone, until his final resignation from regular ministerial work, in 1893. Each congregation relin- quished Rev. Dr. Vallandigham's pastoral care with reluctance; his labors for each had been rewarded with an increase of numbers that made the erection of new places of wor- ship a necessity; and his ability and earnest- ness in the pulpit rendered his preaching very acceptable. He is still active, preaching oc- casionally at Odessa and other places. He re- ceived the degree of D. D. at Delaware Col- lege, Newark, Del., in 1874, and of LL.D. at Westminster College, Fulton, Mo., in 1881. In 1839, Rev. James L. Vallandigham was married at Snow Hill, Md., to Mary Eliza, daughter of Lemuel P. and Eliza (Prideaux) Spence; her father was register of wills for Worcester county, Md. The children of this marriage are: I. Irving Spence; II. James L., a lawyer of Newark, Del., born in 1845, died at Newark in 1888; III. Edward N., pro- fessor of English Literature at Delaware Col- lege. The excellent mother died in 1890, and her remains are interred in the Presbyterian cemetery at Head of Christiana. She was a faithful member of the Presbyterian church. Rev. Dr. Vallandigham still resides at New- ark.

Their eldest son, Irving Spence Vallan- digham, after his graduation from Delaware College, read medicine under the preceptor- ship of his uncle, Dr. George S. Vallandi- gham, of New Lisbon, O. He then attended medical lectures, first at the National College, in Washington, D. C., and afterwards in Bal- timore, at the University of Maryland, from which institution he received his diploma in 1862. Dr. Vallandigham began practice at Saint George's, Del., where he spent twenty-

five years, enjoying the confidence of the peo- ple, and obtaining an extensive practice. In March, 1890, he became a resident of Middle- town; here he has'ever since maintained his high standing among his fellow practitioners, and the citizens in general. He is esteemed not only for his professional faithfulness and ability, but for his unassuming manner, and the kindness and courtesy which characterize his intercourse with all classes. He is a mem- ber of the Pension Examining Board, of the Board of Health of Middletown, of the Dela- ware State Medical Society, and of the Na- tional Medical Association.

Dr. Irving S. Vallandigham was married, October 21, 1868, in Newark, to Katharine Whiteley, daughter of Dr. Alexander and Adeline (Whiteley) Lowber.

The Lowber family has been settled in Del- aware since the later years of the seventeenth century. Mrs. Vallandigham's great-grand- father, Peter Lowber, was born in Amster- dam, Holland, and came to this country about 1680, establishing himself first as a merchant in the infant city of Philadelphia, and after- wards removing to Frederica, Del., while the state of Delaware was still a part of Pennsyl- vania. Mr. Lowber continued to carry on mercantile business, trading with Philadel- phia by means of his own sailing vessels, and adding a tanyard to his other enterprises. He possessed true Dutch energy and talent in the conduct of business, and was among the most prosperous men of his time. He was five times married, on each occasion to a widow; but no record of the names of his wives has been preserved in the family. Peter Lowber died and was buried at Frederica. Ilis son, Thomas Lowber, was born in Frederica, and was his father's assistant and successor in business, carrying on successfully all the above-men- tioned branches. His polities were those of the school of Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Lowber was married in Newark, Del., to Katharine, daughter of Alexander and Kath- arine (Kirkwood) MeBeth. She was a native of Newark, Del .; her father was of Scotch ex- traction, and her mother was a sister of Major Kirkwood, an officer in the Continental army during the Revolution. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Lowber were: I. Alexan- der; II. Robert J., a merchant of Frederica; III. Peter, died young. Mr. Lowber died in Frederica in 1809, and his wife only a few

٠٠٠١ ٠٠ ١٠

563

STATE OF DELAWARE

months later in the same year. They were members of the Presbyterian church, and their remains repose in its cemetery.

Alexander Lowber, son of Thomas and Katharine (Whiteley) Lowber, was born in Frederica in 1805, and was therefore at a very tender age when he was deprived by death of both his parents. He was educated at the academy at Newark, Del., and at Bel- laire Academy, in Harford county, Md. Ile graduated from the Medical Department of the University of Pennsylvania in 1827. For seventeen years, Dr. Lowber practiced at Frederica; in 1844, he removed to Newark, where he continued practice during the re- mainder of his life, enjoying the respect and confidence of the community, and especially of his large circle of patients. Dr. Lowber was one of the oldest members of the State Medical Society. Alexander Lowber, M. D., was married, December, 1838, to Adeline, daughter of Col. Henry and Katharine White- ley, of Newark, Del. The Whiteley family is of Welsh descent. The children of this marriage are: I. Katharine (Mrs. Irving S. Vallandigham); II. Alexander, M. D., of Wilmington, Del .; III. Eugenia; IV. Mary, who died in infancy. Dr. Lowber was a con- sistent member of the Presbyterian church. Ile died at Newark in 1883; his wife survived him, and died at the home of her son-in-law, Dr. Vallandigham.

Members of the Spence family, which is of Scotch origin, were at an early date settled at Snow Hill, Md. Its earliest representative there was Adam Spence, maternal great-great- grandfather of Dr. I. S. Vallandigham. Adam Spence was born in Scotland in 1665. He was zealous for the Protestant faith, and was an active and courageous follower of John Knox. To escape persecution, he left his country in 1689, came to America, and settled where now stands the town of Snow Hill, in Maryland. He devoted his attention to farming, and became the owner of a large plantation, cultivated by many slaves. Here Adam Spence passed his life in tranquility, and here he died. He married Anne Irving; their children were: I. Adam; IT. John; III. George; IV. Margaret; V. Elizabeth; VI. Mary; VII. Sarah; VIII. Anna. Here, as at home, Adam Spence was faithful to the church of his choice, the Presbyterian, which he served as an elder.

George Spence, his third son, was born at Snow Hill, and spent his life upon his planta- tion, engaged in superintending its cultivation by his slaves. He was first married to Andasia Robbins; their children were: 1. Adam; II. Thomas R., a physician of Snow Hill; III. and IV. daughters, who died young. His first wife dying at Snow Hill, George Spence afterwards married Nancy Purnell; their chil- dren were: I. Adam; II. Lemuel; III. John, who represented Maryland in the national senate in 1836; IV. Ara, who was chief jus- tice of Maryland ; V. William, who died young; VI. George, who died young; VII. Irving, a lawyer, of Snow Hill. All the fam- ily were members of the Presbyterian church, in which George Spence held, as his father had done, the dignified and important office of elder.

Ilis son, Lemuel P. Spence, was born at Snow Hill, and was in his earlier years a farmer. Taking an interest in politics, as an advocate of Whig principles and policy, Mr. Spence became prominent in his community, and was elected register of wills for Worcester county. Lemuel P. Spence married Eliza Prideaux, a lady of Huguenot descent; their children are: I. Margaret, wife of Rev. John P. Robbins; II. Mary Eliza (Mrs. James Laird Vallandigham); III. George P., de- ceased; IV. Lemuel, who died young. Mr. Spence and his wife both died at Snow Hill, and their bodies repose in the cemetery of the Presbyterian church at that place. They were good and honored members of the church, and were widely known and respected, as their family had been for generations, in their own and surrounding counties.

GEORGE DOUGLASS KELLEY, Mid- dletown, Del., was born in White Clay Creek hundred, New Castle county, Del., December 12, 1851, and is the son of Samuel and Mary (Allen) Kelley.

The Kelley family is of Scotch descent. Samuel Kelley, great-grandfather of George D. Kelley, was born in Scotland, emigrated in youth, and settled in the upper part of New Castle county, now Mill Creek hundred, where he became a land owner, and spent his life in farming. He died and was buried in White Clay Creek hundred; his place of in- terment was the cemetery of the Presbyterian church, of which he was a member.

M ni ,till

564

BIOGRAPHIICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

ITis son, William Kelley, was born on the homestead in Mill Creek hundred, and was also a farmer. He became the owner of a part of his father's land, upon which he resided, and cultivated it up to the time of his death. Ile was an intelligent and progres- sive man, exerting his influence among his neighbors in behalf of improvements in methods of agriculture. He supported the Whig party. William Kelley mar- ried Catherine, daughter of Douglass and Elizabeth ( Wilson) Morrison, of Mill Creek hundred. Douglass Morrison, son of Robert and Ann (Douglass) Morrison, and grandson of Hugh Morrison, was descended on both pa- ternal and maternal sides from Scotch ances- tors. Hugh Morrison was a settler in Dela- ware at a very early date, and he and his de- scendants have cultivated lands in the state ever since. A more extended notice of the family is given in connection with the sketch of David McCoy. The children of William and Catherine (Morrison) Kelley are: I. George, deceased; II. Samuel, deceased; III. John, of Chester county, Pa .; IV. Elizabeth (Mrs. Thomas Higgins), of Mill Creek hun- dred, deceased; V. Ann (Mrs. Robert Tay- lor), of Mill Creek hundred. William Kelley was widely known and respected; he was a consistent member of the Presbyterian church. His wife died in Mill Creek hun- dred, and was interred in the family burial plot in the cemetery of White Clay Creek Presbyterian church.

Their son, Samuel Kelley, was born on the old Kelley homestead in 18-, and received a good education in subscription schools, in Mill Creek hundred. In 1861, he relinquish- ed farming, which had been his calling up to that time, for the business of a dealer in grain, in which his brother-in-law, Scattergood Al- len, was his partner, the firm being styled Kelley & Allen, grain dealers. They also conducted the flour mill at Brandywine, throughout the life time of Mr. Kelley. From his earliest manhood, he voted with the Whig party, but from the year 1860 was a constant adherent of the Republican cause. He never sought office. Samuel Kelley married Mary, daughter of Samuel Allen, of White Clay Creek hundred, a farmer, and of English de- scent. They had children: I. George Doug- lass; IT. Ella, died in infancy. Both parents died in Wilmington, Mr. Kelley in 1873, his

wife in 1875, and both were interred in Brandywine cemetery. They were members of the Presbyterian church, faithful in their various relations in life, and honored by their acquaintances and neighbors.

Up to the age of sixteen years, George D. Kelley attended the public schools of White Clay Creek hundred and of Wilmington, the academy taught by Mr. Clarkson Taylor, the private school of Mr. W. A. Reynolds, and a commercial college of Philadelphia, from which he was graduated. Directly after his graduation, he obtained employment as office boy at the Wilmington & Brandywine Bank; promotion was not long delayed, for within a year he rose to the position of discount clerk in the same bank, which he held for three years. . In 1871, when not yet twenty years of age, Mr. Kelley began dealing in coal, and continued in that business for three years. Ile then spent five years in cultivating Clark's farm, in Red Lion hundred, near Delaware City; for two years, was again in the employ of the Wilmington and Brandywine Bank ; and later, held a position as clerk in the treas- ury department of the ship-building firm of Harlan & Hollingsworth, Wilmington. In this occupation he continued until 1883, when he was elected cashier of the People's National Bank, of Middletown. This responsible posi- tion Mr. Kelley has occupied with efficiency and honor for the past fourteen years. His genial manners make him popular, as well as respected. In 1891, the commissioners of the Levy Court of New Castle county elected Mr. Kelley treasurer of the county, which position he held for a short time, but was unseated by the influence of his political opponents in the state legislature. In 1896, Mr. Kelley was elected on the Republican ticket as controller of New Castle county, and still holds that of- fice. He is also president of the school board of Middletown. In his publie positions, Mr. Kelley renders the same faithful and efficient services as in more private capacities. With the banking business he is thoroughly con- versant in every detail, through actual exper- ience, from the sweeping of the office to the complicated affairs of the cashier. Ho enjoys the full confidence of those con- nected with him. He is a member of the Junior O. U. A. M., of Middletown, and of the A. O. U. W.

George Douglass Kelley was married in

vlinii

567

STATE OF DELAWARE

1871, near Delaware City, Del., to Emma- lena, daughter of John C. and Elizabeth (Rey- bold) Clark. Mr. Clark was a farmer, now de. cased, of Red Lion hundred, and is of Eng- lish descent; Mrs. Clark was a daughter of Major Reybold, of Delaware. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Kelley are: I. John C., mau- ager of a lumber establishment in Middle- town; 1I. Samuel, in the employ of Messrs. Strawbridge & Clothier, of Philadelphia; III. Florence; IV. Julia; V. George Douglass, Jr .; VI. Emmalena. Mr. Kelley and his family are members of the Presbyterian church.

GIDEON E. HUKILL, 2, Middletown, Del., son of Gideon E. and Susannah (MeMurphey) Inkill, was born in Appoquiu- imink hundred, New Castle county, Del., April 11, 1845.

The Hlukill family is of German descent and its members are among the best citizens of Delaware. The grandfather of Gideon E. ITukill, 2, William Hukill, was a farmer and land-owner of Appoquinimink hundred. He was a Democrat and a member of the M. E. church. He was married three times, his last wife being Mrs. Susan (Lykens) Staats. One of their children was Gideon E. Hukill. Mr. Hukill and his wife both died in Appoquini- mink hundred and were buried in the Union M. E. churchyard.

Gideon E. Hukill was born in 1809 on the farm_owned by his father. His education was received in the public schools of his district, which, at that period, were few and presided over, generally, by teachers who were not well qualified for their duties. Ile remained on the farm with his father and followed agri- cultural pursuits throughout his life. He was industrious and knew the value of scientific farming, grew large quantities of grain and raised many head of live stock, and as a con- sequence, acquired a large amount of real estate, owning at his death about 600 acres of land. In early life he voted the Democratic ticket but when the Know-Nothing party came into existence he cast his ballot with it. He was never an office seeker. Mr. Hukill was highly esteemed for his integrity and his honorable dealings with his fellowmen and for his ready charity to all deserving ones who were in need. His family relations were most happy ones. On March 12, 1832, Gideon E.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Biographical and genealogical history of the state of Delaware, Vol. I, Part 90

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