Biographical and genealogical history of the state of Delaware, Vol. II, Part 27

Author: Runk, J.M. & Co
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chambersburg, Pa.
Number of Pages: 1500

USA > Delaware > Biographical and genealogical history of the state of Delaware, Vol. II > Part 27

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Benjamin Franklin Waples, 2, was married, May 9, 1889, to Sarah Belle (Bennett) Boyce, daughter of George and Sarah ( Watson) Bon- nett. They have no children, but Mrs. Wa- ples by her former marriage with Mr. Boyce, has three, as follows: I. Miles W ..; II. How- ard C .; III. Arthur F.

THEODORE HUDSON ROACH, P. O. Milford, Del., son of Thomas and Cathe- rine (Hudson) Roach, was born in Prime Hook Neck, Sussex county, Del., January 26, 1849. Ilis father, Thomas Roach, was prob- ably a native of Sussex county. Both of his parents died while he was quite young, and he was indentured to a shoemaker, from whom he gained some knowledge of that trade. Ile lived until he attained his majority with this man, who took abundant care that he should not grow up in idleness; for during the day the youth worked on the farm, and in the evenings he was set at making and mending shoes. Work, it appears, was more generously supplied to him than clothing; while he as- sisted in making shoes for others, he seldom received any for himself, except in the bitter- est weather. The hardships of his minority being past, Thomas Roach married, and began farming on his own account; in this occupa- tion he spent his life, always farming as a renter. Thomas Roach married Catherine, daughter of Hudson, who was born March 16, 1812. Their children are: I. Wil- liam W., of Rehoboth hundred, Sussex coun-

ty, Del., married Rosalie Sharp; II. James II., who died in Sussex county, was married to Elizabeth Davis, who now lives in Nebraska; III. Mary (Mrs. William Russell), of Prime Hook Neck; IV. David S., of Broadkiln hun- dred, married Jane Reed; V. Theodore Hud- son; VI. Eliza (Mrs. Charles Dickerson), of Broadkiln hundred; VII. Lot, died in in- fancy; VIII. Alfred Kemp, of Lewes, Del., married Fannie Truitt, who is deceased. Thomas Roach, the excellent father of the family died in Prime Hook Neck in 1873, aged about seventy years. He was a life-long member of the M. E. church, a devout man, and a regular student of the Bible. His wife survived him until February, 1897.

Theodore HI. Roach received his education in the common schools, attending only dur- ing the winter sessions. At the age of eigh- teen, his father having become infirm, from advancing age, he was obliged to devote all his attention to the management of the farm. He resided on the homestead until his mar- riage, after which he removed to his own farm in Slaughter Neck, which had been be- queathed to him by George B. Roach. From this place he removed, three years after his marriage, to the homestead formerly belong- ing to his father-in-law, which Mr. Roach and his wife had purchased. He is a general farm- er, harvesting crops of all descriptions, and is a practical and judicious agriculturist. Mr. Roach is stanch in his adherence to the Repub- lican party, and has served in several local of- fices, always with fidelity and efficiency. Theodore Hudson Roach was married, Decem- ber 28, 1892, to Emma, daughter of Riley and Elizabeth (Watson) Bennett, of Slaughter Neck.

W. F. HOEY, M. D., Frederica, Kent county, Del., son of James and Nancy (Fergu- son) Hocy, was born on the homestead in Kent county, Del., January 2, 1862.

The Hoey family is of Scotch-Irish lineage. Dr. Hoey's grandfather, Robert Hoey, a native of Scotland, removed to Ireland and settled near Belfast. He was a prosperous farmer, but suffered many reverses and was obliged to sell his property. Robert Hoey was married to Margaret MeCambridge. Their children are: I. John, living in Ireland ; II. Isabella, re- sides in Philadelphia, Pa .; III. James. In

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1832, while still a young man, Mr. Robert Hoey died at his home near Belfast, Ireland.

James Hoey, youngest son of Robert and Margaret (McCambridge) Hoey, and father of Dr. W. F. Hoey, was born and educated near Belfast, Ireland. His father's heavy losses had made the family poor, and his early death left them destitute, so that James, while a boy, was bound to a neighboring farmer. In 1850, with his wife and one child, he emigrat- ed to America. ITe landed at Philadelphia, Pa., and went to New Jersey, where he lived for eleven years, after which he removed to Delaware and settled in Kent county. In Mr. Hoey's character, Scotch patience and fru- gality were joined with the cheerfulness and energy of the Irish race. He was soon able to rent a desirable farm, and at the end of one year purchased the land which he had culti- vated. He has improved his property, which is now a comfortable and beautiful homestead. Mr. Hoey is a stanch Democrat, and has served his county in various minor offices; he is highly esteemed in the community. James Hoey was married to Nancy Ferguson, who was born and educated in Belfast, Ireland. Their children are: I. Robert, married Alice Coates; II. John, married Margaret Merriken; III. Samuel; IV. Martha (Mrs. William Buell); V. W. F .; VI. Annie, deceased; VII. Rachel (Mrs. Matthew Morgan). Mrs. Hoey died at her home in Kent county, Del., in Au- gust, 1897. Mr. Hoey is a member of the Presbyterian church.

W. F. Hoey, fourth son of James and Nancy (Ferguson) Hoey, grew up on the homestead in Kent county, Del. After completing his course in the public schools of that district, he entered the academy at Farmington, D.l. A few years later, he spent some time at the State Normal School at Miller-ville, Pa., soon after which Mr. Hoey began reading medicine in the office of J. G. Dawnson, M. D., then practicing at Milford, Del. Ile matriculated at Hahnemann Medical College, Chicago, Ill., graduating with honor in the class of 1889. For one year after his graduation, he was resi- den' surgeon at the Hahnemann Hospital; in 1890, he removed to Frederica, Del .. and opened an office for the practice of his profes- sion. Dr. Hocy is a skilful physician, and has built up a large and profitable practice. He is highly esteemed in social as well as in professional circles, and has won the respect

and confidence of the community. Dr. Hoey is a member of several medical societies, and of the 1. O. C. W.

W. F. Hoey, M. D., was married, in 1896, to Alberta, daughter of Major W. O. and Mary (Philips) Bigelow, of Baltimore, Md.

JOIN HI. HOFFECKER, P. O. Smyrna, Kent county, Del., son of Joseph and Rachel (Van Gasken) Hoffecker, was born on the farm near Smyrna, Del., September 12, 1827.

Many years before the war of the Revolu- tion, Henry Hoffecker, great-grandfather of John II. Hoffecker, a German by birth and early residence, emigrated to the United States, bringing with him his wife and eight children, four sons and four daughters. He settled in what is now Leatherbury's Corner, near Smyrna, Kent county, Del. Late in life he visited Germany, where he had inherited property, and died on the return voyage to America. His youngest son, John Hoffeck- er, grandfather of John II. Hoffecker, was a farmer of Kent county, Del., where he spent his whole life in the cultivation of the soil. John Hoffecker was married to Catherine Slack. Their children are: I. James; II. Joseph; III. Henry.

Joseph Hoffecker was the second son of John and Catherine (Slack) Hoffecker, and was a prosperous farmer of Duck Creek hun- dred, Kent county, Del. In 1837, he pur- chased the Edward Joy farm, now the proper- ty of his son, John II. Hoffecker. In 1826, Joseph Hoffeeker was married to Rachel Van Gasken. He died at his home in Kent county, Del., in 1851, aged sixty-seven. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Hoffecker had seven children, of whom John II. Hoffecker was the eldest. Mrs. Joseph Hoffecker, now in her ninety-first year, resides in Smyrna.

John II. Hoffecker received his education in the public and private schools of Smyrna, Del. At his father's death he inherited the homestead, which he cultivated for seventeen years. In 1868 he removed to Smyrna, Del., and became a partner in the fruit-canning es- tablishment owned by his brother, Joseph V. Hoffecker. This partnership was dissolved in 1577, Mr. John H. Hoffecker purchasing the Imusiness. He has greatly enlarged the estab- Jisliment, and has every facility for preparing fine fruit, having added extensive evaporators and an engine of fifty horse power. The cans

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are manufactured on the premises, and this in- dustry gives employment to five men for six monthsofeach year. The cannery has a capac- ity of five hundred thousand cans, and affords work for one hundred and twenty-five work- men; and the evaporators, through which three hundred basketfuls pass daily, require ta. equal number of employees. Mr. Hoffeck- er also manages his farm of 225 acres, on which he has planted several fine orchards; he raises tomatoes, corn, pumpkins, and small fruits, thus partly supplying his cannery. He was one of the original stockholders of the Fruit-Growers' National Bank, of Smyrna, and has served on the board of directors since its organization; he was elected president in 1891. Mr. Hoffecker is also a director of the Delaware R. R. Co., and of the Kent county Mutual Insurance Company; president of the Smyrna Building and Loan Association; presi- dent of the Philadelphia and Smyrna Trans- portation Line; president of the board of com- missioners, of Smyrna, and of the board of di- rectors of the public schools. He was chair- man of the building committee that erected the handsome school building in 1883, and as- sisted in securing the erection of water-works, and electric light works, and the construction of sewerage facilities at Smyrna, Del. Mr. Hoffecker was a Whig, but at the formation of the Republican party, in 1856, he identified himself with that organization, in which he has become prominent throughout the state. IIe was a delegate to the National Republican Convention, at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1876, and also to the Convention at Chicago, Ill., in 1884; was elected to the fifty-sixth Con- gress as a Republican in 1898, receiving 17,- 566 votes, against 15,053 votes for L. Irving Ilandy, D.

John HI. Hoffeeker was married, May 19, 1853, to Annie E., daughter of John Apple- ton, of Odessa, Del. Their children are: I. Walter O., a partner in the cannery, married Beulah C. Hance, of Philadelphia, Pa .; II. John A., chief clerk in the office of the super- intendent of the Delaware R. R. and Branch Railroads, at Clayton, Del., married Annie Waters, of Smyrna, Del .; III. James Elwin, a clerk in the same office, married Annie Scott, of Baltimore, Md .; IV. Annie (Mrs. H. P. ITall), of Smyrna, Del. Mrs. Annie E. Ilof- fecker died June 20, 1881. In March, 1883, Mr. Hoffecker was married to Charlotte J.,

daughter of Matthias Jerman, of Kent county, Del., and widow of Joseph HI. Hoffecker. From 1875 to 1878, Mrs. Hoffecker was a teacher in China, living with her sister, the wife of the Rev. S. L. Baldwin, D. D., a mis- sionary of the M. E. church. Mr. Hoffecker and his wife are members of the Asbury M. E. church, at Smyrna, Del. Mr. Hoffecker has been one of the stewards of the church since 1860.

CAPT. WILLIAM THOMAS MOORE, state senator from Sussex county, P. O. Bethel, Del., son of William and Teney (Penton) Moore, was born in Broad Creek hundred, Sussex county, Del., January 6, 1837.

The Moore family is of English descent, and has lived in Delaware for the entire time covered by the records that have been preserv- ed. Giley Moore, grandfather of Captain William T. Moore, lived and died in Broad Creek hundred, engaged in agricultural pur- suits. Ile was a distinguished man in his com- imity, from both a business and a political standpoint. One of his children was William Moore, father of Captain William T. Moore.

William Moore was married to Tency, daughter of James and Betsy Penton, of Broad Creek hundred, on December 23, 1819. They had children: I. Hollen (Mrs. Jeremiah Wright), of Bethel, Del., has five children; II. Mary (Mrs. Alexander Hop- kins), deceased, had six children, one of whom survives; III. James B., married Kitty J. Penton, and afterwards married Mrs. Blackall, died in Illinois; IV. Maria S. (Mrs. Captain J. B. Quillin), of Bethel, has five children; V. Julia, deceased; VI. Mar- tha, died in childhood.

William T. Moore was early left to his mother's care, his father having died when he was two years old, and from her he received most beneficial training. ITis home was with her on the farm, and he attended the district schools until he was fourteen years old, when he began a sca-faring life, shipping on a coast- ing vessel at wages of four dollars per month. Hle was in love with the sea, however, and neither the small remuneration he received, nor the many hardships to which he was ex- posed could check his enthusiasm and his pur- pose to get to the top in his profession. In eleven years he was sailing as captain, and

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continued to do so for eight years, after which he made his home in Bethel. Captain Moore had many narrow escapes from death while on the sea. In one instance all his crew were drowned. He followed the sea for nineteen years, a part of this time being owner or part owner of the vessels in which he sailed.

Captain Mooreis essentially a self-made man. Hle received only the small sum of eighty- one dollars from his father's estate, and knew very early that his own possessions must be acquired by hard labor and his path in life fashioned by himself. He has most creditably acquitted himself of his task. He is interested in many financial ventures that have proven profitable investments; is a member of the mercantile firm of J. B. Quillin & Co., Bethel, is one-third owner of the marine railways at Bethel and at Sharptown, Md .; part owner of several vessols and one-half owner of a farm in Broad Creek hundred. Captain Moore is an ardent, hard-working Democrat, and has been rewarded by his party for his zeal and fidelity. In 1881 he was elected Levy Court commissioner of Broad Creek hundred, and filled the office four years. In 1896 he was state senator, which position he still holds. Ile is a member of Hope Lodge, No. 4, F. and A. M .; Charity Lodge, No. 27, I. O. O. F .; Laurel Encampment, No. 4, I. O. O. F .; and Indian Hill Tribe, No. 19, I. O. R. M.

Captain William Thomas Moore was mar- ried, March 6, 1859, to Charlotte, daughter vi John Baker, farmer, of Broad Crock hun- dred. They have an adopted daughter, Clara E., married in 1895 to Prof. W. W. Knowles, ex-superintendent of schools of Sussex county. Captain Moore is a member of the M. E. church and has been steward, trustee, class- leader, and superintendent of the Sunday- school.

CAPTAIN JOHN B. QUILLIN, Bethel, Del., son of John B. and Elizabeth ( Eskridge) Quillin, was born in Broad Creek hundred, Sussex county, Del., November 22, 1825.

llis ancestry was English, but the name of the founder of the family in this country is not known. The earliest records show that Delaware has been the home of the Quillin family for many years. The grandparents of Captain Quillin were Joseph and Priscilla Quillin, who lived on a farm in Broad Crock

hundred and were principally engaged in farming. Joseph Quillin was a well-known citizen and an extensive land and mill owner. He was always interested in matters pertain- ing to the welfare of his neighborhood, and gave his assistance to all worthy enterprises. Ile was never a politician, and never aspired to or held office. John B. Quillin, Sr., son of Joseph Quillin, chose to make his livelihood upon the sea, sailed over it in calm and through tempest and went far, beneath its tu- multuous waves to find the winding sheet for his dead body. He had been many years a sailor when one day his ship left port and was heard from no more. No bit of wreckage, no mast or spar, ever came to shore to tell the story of the lost ship or crew. Mr. Quillin was honest, straightforward and genial, and was long mourned by his family and friends. John B. Quillin, Sr., was married to Eliza- beth, daughter of William and Mary ( Wright) Eskridge, of Broad Creek hundred, Sussex county. They had children: I. Josiah, de- ceased, born 1821, married and had three children, was a mariner, whose home was in Broad Creek hundred; II. Caroline ( Mrs. Jesse Griffith ), deceased, born 1823, had seven children: III. John B .; IV. Oakley T., de- ceased, born 1835, unmarried.

Captain John B. Quillin attended the pub- lie schools of Broad Creek hundred, and worked on a farm until he was twenty years old. Then, following his father's example, he adopted a sea-faring life, and did not abandon it until 1883. In that year he en- gaged in mercantile business in Bethel, and has continued in the same ever since. He is a Democrat. Captain Quillin is a member of Ilope Lodge, No. 4, F. and A. M .; Charity Lodge, No. 27, I. O. O. F .; Laurel Encamp- ment, No. 4, I. O. O. F., and Indian Hill Tribe, No. 19. I. O. R. M. Captain Quillin's health has for some time been precarious.

Captain John B. Quillin was married in Both- cl, February 14, 1850, to Maria S., daughter of William and Tency (Penton) Moore. Their children are: I. George T., resides near Bethel, born November, 1850, married Ella Collins, has one child; HI. Julia C. (Mrs. Thomas J. Saurhoff), of Sharptown, Md., horn November, 1852, has four children; III. Wil- liam J., born in 1856, married Nora Hill, had three children, married second time, to Aggie Stoddard, of Charleston, S. C .; IV. James E.,

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resides near Bethel, born July, 1861, married Martha Houston, has three children; V. Roland F., of Bethel, born July, 1871, mar- ried Ermina Spicer, has three children. Cap- tain Quillin has been a member of the M. E. church for many years, and has held all the church offices.

JAMES W. MORGAN, Concord, Sussex county, Del., son of Captain Wesley and Elizabeth (Wiley) Morgan, was born near Sea- ford, Del., September 5, 1824.

The Morgan family, of Welsh descent, set- tled early in Broad Creek hundred, where Elijah Morgan, grandfather of James W., was born. He passed his entire life in the same section, was a farmer and an extensive land owner. He had been a soldier in the Revolu- tionary war, and was regarded with much re- spect both for his patriotic record and for his personal character. IIe was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Elijah Morgan was twice married; by his first marriage he had one son, William; the children of his see- ond matrimonial union were: I. Wesley; II. Jacob; III. Asbury; IV. Lorenzo D .; V. Elijah; VI. Zipporah; VII. Elizabeth, who died young; all of the family are long since deceased. Elijah Morgan, the father, was in- terred upon his farm.

Wesley Morgan, eldest son of Elijah Mor- gan, was born in Broad Creek hundred in 1790. Ilis boyish days were divided between active employments on the farm and attend- ance upon the short sessions of the country schools. He was ambitious and intelligent, and to a great extent made up for the deficien- cies in his school training by hard study in his leisure hours. Like many young men, he was attracted by the sea, so near him and so invit- ing. For a number of years, he went on voyages along the Atlantic coast, and in for- eign waters; he became a captain and owner of vessels, and having been a close student of mathematics, readily acquired the science and art of navigation, and became very skilful. During the winter months, when at home, he taught school. In middle life, Capt. Morgan settled down to farming, buying a farm near Seaford, in Broad Creek hundred, where, af- ter making many improvements, he passed the rest of his life in agricultural pursuits. Among the recollections that cheered his declining years, not the least pleasant must have been

those of faithful and patriotic service in the war of 1812, which occurred just as he reached his majority. Still more agreeable must have been the remembrance of a life of honorable dealing with his neighbors, which had won for him the name of "honest Captain Morgan," throughout his native county. In his religious opinions he was liberal; in polities, he was a Whig up to the year 1856, when he became a Democrat, and ever after voted the ticket of that party. Captain Wesley Morgan was mar- ried in Broad Creek hundred, to Elizabeth, daughter of James Wiley, of that hundred. Their children are: I. Mary, deceased, mar- ried first to Peter B. King, and after his death to Eli Clifton, also deceased; II. Annie (Mrs. Thomas Larimore), deceased, as is her hus- band also; III. Elijah Asbury, deceased; IV. James W. Mrs. Wesley Morgan died in 1859, and her husband in 1862; both are buried on the farm. Mrs. Morgan was an exemplary wife and mother, and a faithful member of the M. E. church.

Such opportunities for school training as fell to the lot of James W. Morgan were af- forded by the subscription schools of his vi- cinity; the most of his education was imparted by his father; and inheriting as he did a taste for hard study and the faculty of careful and accurate observation, he became a well-in- formed man. He remained on the farm dur- ing his boyhood, and passed much time in fishing and sailing. At the age of nineteen, he became clerk in the store of William B. ITorsey, of Seaford, Del., with whom he spent four years. He then entered into partnership with Dr. Jacob Knowles in a general merean- tile business in Concord, Del .; this connection lasted for two years, after which Dr. Knowles sold his interest to Daniel Calhoun, who took his place in the firm. Two years later, Mr. Morgan purchased Mr. Calhoun's share in the business, and has conducted the business ever since, except for a short interval, by himself. In 1863, he bought his present store at a cost of $1,800, and has for twenty-five years occu- pied the same place, meeting with ample suc- cess. Ile owns two farms in the county, and is largely interested in agriculture and fruit raising. Mr. Morgan, having been for a half century a resident of Concord, is well known to all its citizens as a man of upright character, just and honorable in his dealings. Until the year 1856, Mr. Morgan was a Whig, but since

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that time, he has been a stanch supporter of the political principles of Jefferson and Jack- son, until the Democratic party was captured by the Free Silver party; then he went with the Republicans.

James W. Morgan was married in Scaford, then a part of Northwest Fork hundred, in 1851, to Elizabeth Q., daughter of George Morgan. Their children are: I. Charles T., foreign buyer for Shillito & Co., Cincinnati, O .; 11. George, a graduate of Delaware Col- lege, on the editorial staff of the Philadelphia Record; III. Annie, died at the age of twenty- one years; IV. Harry J., traveling salesman, resides in Pennsylvania; V. Albert W., em- ployed in the office of the freight department of the Reading R. R., in Philadelphia; VI. and VII. Iliram W. and Edward B., twins, the former telegraph operator for the P. R. R. Co., in their office at Altoona, the latter a mer- chant in the same city. All of the family are well educated, and their worth, as well as their efficiency in the responsible positions which they occupy, may well be regarded by Mr. Morgan with justifiable pride. Mrs. Elizabeth Q. Morgan, who was born in February, 1822, died in 1881, and was interred in the ceme- tery of the M. E. church, of which she was a faithful and active member. She was an ex- cellent wife and mother. In 1883, James W. Morgan married, in Nanticoke hundred, Mar- tha Jane, daughter of Francis and Elizabeth T. (Short) Collins, of that hundred. Mr. Col- lins was a well-known ship-builder on the Nanticoke River. Mrs. Martha J. Morgan is an intelligent lady, of cheerful and kindly dis- position. She, as well as her husband, is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

JOHN WILLEY, P. O. Bridgeville, Sus- sex county, Del., son of John and Sarah (Brown) Willey, was born in Northwest Fork hundred, Sussex county, Del., February 6, 1843.

John Willey, shoemaker and farmer, grand- father of John Willey, 3, was born in North- west Fork hundred, Sussex county, Del., where his whole life was spent. After work- ing at his trade for some time Mr. Willey turned his attention to farming in which he was very successful. He was interested in public affairs and was a member of the Demo- cratic party. John Willey was married to Margaret Higman. Their children are: I.

John; II. Nehemiah; III. Loxley, of Bridge- ville, Del .; IV. Cannon; V. Theodore; VI. Nathaniel; VII. Joshua; VIII. Margaret. Of these chiklren the only survivor is Loxley, who has passed his eighty-second birthday. He re- sides at Bridgeville, Del. Mr. Willey and his wife were members of the M. E. church. Both died on the farm in Sussex county.

Their eldest son, John Willey, 2, was born in Northwest Fork hundred, in 1806, and was educated in the subscription schools of the district. During the greater part of his life Mr. Willey was engaged in farming on rented land in his native hundred. Mr. Willey was a Democrat, interested in local affairs. John Willey, 2, was married in Northwest Fork hundred, Sussex county, Del., to Sarah, daugh- ter of Abel Brown. Their children are: I. James, farmer, of Nanticoke hundred, Sussex county, Del .; II. John; III. Edwin, of Sea- ford, Del .; IV. Iliram, of Jenkintown, Pa .; V. Sarah Elizabeth, married Captain Henry Scott, of Seaford, Del. Mr. Willey, his wife and family were members of the M. E. church. Mrs. Willey died at Seaford. Mr. Willey spent the latter part of his life at the home of his son, John Willey, where he died in 1877; he is buried beside his wife in the ceme- tery of the M. P. church at Seaford.

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Biographical and genealogical history of the state of Delaware, Vol. II, Part 27

Author: Runk, J.M. & Co Publication date: 1899 Publisher: Chambersburg, Pa. Number of Pages: 1500

Author: Runk, J.M. & Co
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chambersburg, Pa.
Number of Pages: 1500