Biographical and genealogical history of the state of Delaware, Vol. II, Part 32

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 32

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Sheodore Sourcend,

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STATE OF DELAWARE

II. Windsor, 2, born in Delaware, Septem- Fer 28, 1784, removed in 1811 to Scott conty, Ky., and associated himself in busi- m-, with his brother, John Rawlins; later, was in mercantile business in Georgetown, the county seat of Scott county; he died suddenly of paralysis, December 18, 1862, leaving a widow, the wife of his youth, and a large fam- ily of children. Through life he was promi- nently identified with the M. E. church;

III. Lot, third son of Charles and Mary 'Layton' Rawlins, was born June 30, 1787; He remained in Delaware, his native state, and in early manhood engaged in mercantile busi- ness in a small way. When the war of 1812 came on, he closed out his business, and en- listed in the Delaware militia, and was called to the defence of Lewistown, now Lewes. After the death of his father, he went with his younger brother, James Rawlins, then a lad of thirteen years, to Scott county, Ky., in company with some other emigrants, by wagon, a slow, tedious journey. Some un- settled business in Delaware demanding his attention, he returned there the following year, expecting after the arrangement of his affairs to go back again to Kentucky. He changed his whole plan, however, on meeting Miss Eliza, daughter of Archibald Twiford; they were married, November 24, 1814, and again Mr. Rawlins settled down in the mer- cantile business, first at Coverdale X Roads, Sussex county, Del., and afterward at Mid- dleford, in the same county. In the fall of 1836, he removed to the farm, one mile from Middleford, where he died February 7, 1861. Mr. Rawlins did not, however, give up store- keeping, but carried on that business in addi- tion to farming, until the day of his death, at which time he had been continuously in the mercantile business for nearly forty-seven years. For a number of years, he was also engaged in milling. He was energetic in bus- iness, a great lover of his home and family, kind to his neighbors and to the poor. He had a singular impediment in his speech, which so affected the pronunciation of many Words that strangers were frequently at a loss to understand his meaning. Though his fa- ther was a good musician, and gave instruc- tions in both vocal and instrumental music, he could not distinguish one tune from another. His first wife died in the spring of 1824, leav- ing children: i. Mary Ann Layton; ii. Wil-

liam, iii. John Morgan, iv. James, v. Charles Archibald Twiford. His second wife was Ann, daughter of Charles and Nancy Brown, who also died, February 16, 1547, leaving him the second time a widower. Four of their children died in infancy; those surviv- ing are, i. Thomas Layton, ii. Philip Henry. In December, 1857, Lot Rawlins married his third wife, Mrs. Mary ( Fooks) James, widow of Hiram James, of Concord, Del. Mr. Raw- lins died February 7, 1861. Though he was not a member of any church, his house was the home of the Methodist itinerant. Hle at- tended the services of the Methodlist Episco- pal church, of which a number of his family were members, and gave liberally of his means towards its support;

IV. Nancy, daughter of Charles and Mary (Layton) Rawlins, born in Delaware in 1792, went to Kentucky, where she married Edward Warren, a soldier of the war of 1812, and died in 1860, leaving several children;

V. James, youngest son of Charles and Mary (Layton) Rawlins, was born in Dela- ware, February 2, 1800, and died at his home near Georgetown, Ky., March 16, 1889. Shortly after the death of his father, as above mentioned, he left Delaware for Seott county, Ky., the home of his brothers, John and Windsor Rawlins; there he was educated in the common schools, and taught school in 1824-25. He studied medicine in George- town, attended lectures in the medical depart- ment of Transylvania University, Lexington, Ky., and began the practice of medicine in Seott county in 1827. In 1828, Dr. Rawlins married Gabrilla Jones, of Berks county, Pa .; and in 1880, he became a communicant member of the M. E. church. As a business man, Dr. Rawlins was very successful. He Held clear and decided opinions, and had the courage of his convictions. His wife died about two years before him; he felt his bereavement very sorely. Ile left three daughters.

Philip Henry Rawlins, son of Lot and Ann (Brown) Rawlins, was in his childhood and youth of a delicate constitution. He was edu- cated in the public schools of Sussex county, and in a select school taught by Samuel J. Witherles, in Georgetown, Del., and after- wards in Laurel, Del. He was not yet seven- teen years old when he began teaching during the summer vacations, and later, for several

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years, he taught school in Maryland and Dela- ware. In the spring of 1855, he entered into partnership with his brother, Charles Raw- lins, in a store; but in December, 1556, the connection was dissolved, and he removed to a farm in Maryland, where he remained for six years. He then bought a farm near Trin- ity Church, in Northwest Fork hundred, Sus- sex county, Del., to which he removed in 1862, and continued to reside there until the spring of 1869. He united with the Metho- dist Episcopal church when not quite fourteen years of age, and on his nineteenth birthday, was licensed as an exhorter; he received his license as a local preacher at the age of twenty-two. In 1858, while residing in Mary- land, Mr. Rawlins served Denton Circuit as junior preacher, being called out by the pre- siding elder, Rev. T. J. Thompson. In 1866- '67-'68, he was employed by the presiding el- der on Denton and Bridgeville circuits. In 1869, he entered the Wilmington Confer- ence, in which he has since been continuously at work, stationed successively at Berlin, Md., Annimesse, Somerset county, Md., Snow Hill, Md., Smyrna Circuit, Scott, Wilmington, Del., Georgetown, Del., East New Market, Md., Camden and Harrington, Del. In the spring of 1896, he was appointed agent of the Steward' Endowment Fund. of the confer- once, which position he still holds. On Jan- uary 1, 1897, Rev. Mr. Rawlins removed to his present home in Seaford, Del. For four- teen years he has been a member of the Board of Stewards of Wilmington Conference, and has during most of that time been president of the Board. Ile is also one of the trustees of the conference, and secretary of that Board.

On December 12, 1855, when but a little over twenty-one years of age, Rev. Philip Henry Rawlins was united in marriage to Rhoda A., eldest daughter of Lewis N. and Sina (Kinder) Wright. Mrs. Rawlins' father was for a number of years president of the First National Bank of Seaford, Del. Three of their five children died young; those sur- viving are: I. Thomas Newton, born in 1858, who with his wife, S. Alberta, daugh- tor of the late Joseph Wright, of Dorchester county, Md., lives in Seaford, Del. ; II. Wil- bur Fisk, druggist, of New York city, mar- ried Flora J. Buell, daughter of Prof. Fayette R. Buell, of Philadelphia.

THE BROWN FAMILY, one of the old- est in the New England states, is English Ly descent, and had many representatives both in the colonial and Continental armies. James Il. Brown was born, June 30, 1516, at Stow, Mass., where he was educated and learned blacksmithing. Hle afterwards re- moved to Acton, Mass., and found employ- ment at his trade. In 1865, at the close of the war of the Rebellion, Mr. Brown removed to Delaware, and purchased 315 acres of unim- proved land in Seaford hundred, Sussex county. Having cleared part of the land, he planted fruit trees of all kinds. This venture met with such decided success that he devoted himself entirely to raising choice fruits, thus becoming one of the pioneers of that business in Sussex county, and earning the gratitude of his fellow-citizens by helping to introduce a new and healthful industry. Mr. Brown improved his property by erecting a hand- some frame dwelling, a barn and outbuildings, and in 1885 retired from active business and removed to this new home where he enjoyed the reward of his years of labor. He was known as "Yankee Brown," an epithet which clung to him as long as he lived.

James II. Brown was married at Sudbury, Mass., to Emeline C., daughter of AAbel Cut- ting, a captain in the war of 1812, whose an- cestors were old settlers of New England and served in the Continental army. Mrs. Brown was born at Sudbury, Mass. Their children are: I. Charles C., farmer, of Bridgeville, Del .; IL. James F .; III. Abbie (Mrs. Reynell B. Coates), of Northampton, Mass .; IV. Ed- ward B .; V. Emma, married John E. Willey, a merchant of Seaford, Del. Mrs. Brown was a member of the M. E. church; she died at the homestead, in 1865, and is buried at Seaford. Mr. Brown's second wife was Mary A., daughter of - Fooks, and widow of Lot Rawlins, of Seaford hundred. Mrs. Mary Brown died at the homestead in 1890, and is buried in the I. O. O. F. cemetery at Seaford. Mr. Brown was a member of the M. E. church. He died at his home in Sussex county, June 22, 1898, and is interred in the I. O. O. F. cemetery at Seaford, Del.

CAPTAIN MARCELLUS W. HEARN, P. O. Staford, Sussex county, Del., son of Burton R. and Eleanor (Ellis) Hearn, was

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born in Little Creek hundred, Sussex county, Del., March 22, 1841.

The name of this family is inscribed on the roll of the early settlers of Sussex county. Thomas learn, grandfather of Marcellus W. Hearn, who was a native of England, emi- grated to America in early manhood, and set- tled in Little Creek hundred, Sussex county, Del., where he became a farmer and land owner. Mr. Hearn was a successful agricul- turist, respected in the community. He was a Whig, interested in all the affairs of the county. Thomas Hearn was married to Sarah Coffen, of Little Creek hundred. Their chil- dren are: I. James; II. Burton R .; III. Batstone; IV. Marcellus; V. Vennetta; VI. Helen. All are now dead. Mr. Hearn and his wife were members of the M. E. church; both died at the homestead, and are buried in the family burial ground on the home farm.

Burton R. Hearn, farmer, father of Capt. M. W. Hearn, was born in Little Creek hun- dred and received his education in the public schools of the district. He grew up on the homestead and in early manhood purchased a farin in his native hundred, and devoted his life to cultivating and improving his prop- erty. Hle planted several orchards and was very successful in raising choice fruits. IIe was a member of the Democratic party. Bur- ton R. Hearn was married in Little Creek hundred, Sussex county, Del., to Eleanor, daughter of Stephen Ellis, and sister of M. M. Ellis, of Dehar, Del. Mrs. Hearn was born in Little Creek hundred. Their chil- dren are: I. Elizabeth, widow of Isaac M. Henry, of Little Creek hundred; II. Martin W., of Virginia; III. William, of Delmar, Del .; IV. Marcellus W .; V. Martha ( Mrs. Burton Hearn), of Virginia; Amanda ( Mrs. William Phillips), of Little Creek hundred; VII. Josephine (Mrs. Edward ITcarn), of Lit- tle ('reek hundred; VIII. Mary E. ( Mrs. John Phillips), of Little Creek hundred; IX. Elijah R., of Virginia; X. Thomas, died in vonth; XT. Otto B., of Philadelphia, Pa .; and two who died in infancy. Mr. Hearn and his wife were members of the M. E. church. He died at his home in Little Creek hundred, Sus- sex county, Del., February 18, 1873; his widow died at Delmar, Del. Both are buried in the private cemetery on the farm of Mr. M. M. Ellis, in Little Creek hundred.

Marcellus W. Hearn was educated in the

public schools of Little Creek hundred, Sus- sex county, and remained at home assisting his parents on the homestead until he at- tained his majority, when he shipped as a deck hand on one of the river freighters. Af- ter one year's experience he took charge of a vessel, and for twenty-one years, he was cap- tain of river sailing freighters, plying from ports on the Nanticoke, Chesapeake and Del- aware rivers, bound for Boston and other east- orn and southern ports. Captain Hearn was successively commander and part owner of the Fair Wind, the Bee and the Farmers' Friend. In 1883 Captain Hearn abandoned the sea, and removing to Seaford hundred. bought the Cannon grist mill. In 1892 he took down the old mill, rebuilt with improved machinery and appliances and at a cost of $7,- 000, fitted it for the roller process. It is known as the Clear Brook Roller mill, capa- city forty barrels per day. Captain Hearn is also engaged in general farming and fruit raising. He has erected a comfortable dwel- ling, a barn and outbuildings. IIe is a Demo- crat, interested in all that concerns the wel- fare of the county, and has served as clerk of the board of school commissioners for ten years. Captain Hearn is highly esteemed in the community for his honorable, upright life, and his kind, genial disposition. He is a member of Tuscarora Tribe, I. O. R. M., of Seaford, Del., and of the I. O. H., of Bridge- well, Del.

Marcellus W. Hearn was married, in 1865, in Little Creek hundred, to Arcadia, daughter of ITugh Collins, of Little Creek hundred, where Mrs. Hearn was born. Their children are: I. Maggie D., died young; II. George II., manager of the Clear Brook Roller Mill; III. Jennie; IV. Theodosia; V. Mary Corinna (Mrs. J. F. Moore). Captain Hearn, wife and family are very popular in the commun- ity in which they lived and are members and active workers in Browns M. E. church, Can- non, Del.

AMOS KENDALL CORBIN, Atlanta, Sussex county, Del., son of Stephen and Ma- tilda (Twiford) Corbin, was born in North- west Fork hundred, Sussex county, Del., De- comber 20, 1836.

The Corbin family, one of the oldest in the southern states, is of English ancestry. Its first representatives in America settled in Vir-

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ginia, where they became planters and land owners. Stephen Corbin, great-grandfather of Amos K. Corbin, removed to Delaware and purchased land in Northwest Fork hun- dred, Sussex county, where he engaged in farming. He died at the homestead, and, in accordance with the custom then provailing, was buried on his own farm. William Cor- bin, son of Stephen Corbin, and grandfather of Amos K. Corbin, was born in Northwest Fork hundred, Sussex county, Del., and like his father devoted himself to agriculture. ITis farm of 100 acres was fertile and well culti- vated. Mr. Corbin was quiet and unassum- ing in manner and was a friend to all in need. Ile was a Democrat, interested in public af- fairs. William Corbin was married to Miss Dredden. Their children are: I. Stephen; II. Sarah (Mrs. William Justice), died in Ohio. Mr. Corbin and his wife were members of the M. E. church. He died in the prime of life, at his home in Sussex county; his widow also died on the homestead, where both are buried.

Amos K. Corbin's father, Stephen Corbin, 2, was born on the homestead in Sussex county, in 1803. He was educated in the subscription schools of the district, and with the homestead inherited his father's love for rural life. By hard work and patient econ- omy he added to his patrimony until he owned 700 acres of fertile land. He took great pride and pleasure in his home and his farms, on which he made many improvement -. Mr. Corbin was a Democrat, became a Whig in 1540, and finally identified himself with the Republican party. He was a good citizen, highly esteemed in the hundred. Stephen Corbin was married in Northwest Fork hun- dred to Matilda, daughter of Archibald Twi- ford, a native of Northwest Fork hundred. Their children are: I. Eliza (Mrs. Joshua ('ranor), deceased; II. Margaret, married first to Isaiah Neal, and afterwards to John Layton, who is now dead; III. Sarepta, de- ceased; IV. Amelia (Mrs. Robert Ross), de- ceased; V. Mary A. (Mrs. Zebulon Hopkins); VI. William A., farming in North West Fork hundred; VII. Amos Kendall; VIII. Twi- ford, deceased; IX. Sarah T. (Mrs. James H. Wroten); X. Miranda (Mrs. Aaron Wright), of Northwest Fork hundred. Mrs. Matilda Corbin died at the homestead in 1854, and

was buried in Bethel M. E. cemetery. Mr. Corbin's second wife was Priscilla Davis. He died at the homestead in 1884, and is interre 1 in Bethel M. E. cemetery.

Amos Kendall Corbin attended the public schools of Northwest Fork hundred; he stud- ied diligently at school and at home, and by his own efforts prepared himself to teach; at the age of twenty-one he secured a school near Milford. Of the twenty years which he de- voted to his profession, eight were spent in the state of Missouri, where he also engaged in other business. In 1881 Mr. Corbin pur- chased 120 acres of land in Northwest Fork hundred, Sussex county, Del., and after cul- tivating it for one year bought the Warren Kinder farm of 334 acres situated in Seaford hundred. This farm, which has been his home for sixteen years, is well tilled and very productive. He has planted large orchards and made other improvements. In 1893, he purchased the Davis farm, 330 acres, near Oak Grove, Caroline county, Md., which was in the Davis family of that county over one hundred years. He also owns a detached piece of woodland (50 acres) secured by inher- itance. ITis landed estate amounts to 834 acres. Mr. Corbin, who is one of the most in- telligent men in the hundred, is a thoughtful reader, interested in the topics of the day, genial, hospitable, and a pleasant, instructive speaker. He is popular in all circles and is highly esteemed in the county. Mr. Corbin is a life-long Republican, but voted for W. J. Bryan and free silver in 1896. He is a good citizen, interested in public affairs but does not desire political preferment and will not ae- cept office.

Amos Kendall Corbin was married, in 1880, in Seaford hundred, Sussex county, Del., to Castelia, daughter of Warren and Ann Maria (Davis) Kinder, old and respected citizens of Seaford hundred where Mrs. Cor- Fin was born. Mrs. Corbin is noted for her pleasant manner and for her generous hospi- tality.

JOSEPH NEAL, P. O. Seaford, Sussex county, Del., son of John and Elizabeth (Lit- tleton ) Neal, was born on the farm on which he now resides in Northwest Fork, now Sca-

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ford hundred, Sussex county, Del., July 14, 1805.

This family, which is of Irish lineage, has owned and cultivated land in Sussex county for more than one hundred and sixty years. In early colonial times, a family of this name consisting of four brothers, William, John, Arthur and Joseph, and two sisters, Mary Ann and Joanna, removed from Worcester county, Md., to Sussex county, Del., and took up large tracts of land in what is now Sea- ford hundred. It is supposed that their par- ents were with them, but of this there is no record. The second of these brothers, John Neal, settled in Northwest Fork hundred upon unclaimed land which was part of the Crown land of Great Britain. The country was a wilderness, dotted here and there with log huts, the homes of the sturdy pioneers who were to lay the foundations of the state. Ilere John Neal built the substantial frame house in which his grandson, Joseph Neal, now resides, and devoted his whole life to clearing and cultivating his homestead. Here he died, and here he, his wife and many of his family are buried. The children of John Neal, all of whom are now dead, were: I. John; II. Charles; III. William; IV. Henry; V. Skinner; VI. Catherine.

John Neal, 2, eldest son of John Neal, 1, and father of Joseph Neal, was born at the homestead in Sussex county, Del., in 1781. Hle purchased and managed the homestead, a farm of 191 acres, on which he made many improvements, and in 1826 built an addition to the old house. Mr. Neal was one of the most successful farmers of Northwest Fork hundred, where he owned 900 acres, the larg- est amount of real estate held by any man in the hundred. Mr. Neal was a Federalist and afterwards a Democrat. He was well-known in the county, where he was highly esteemed. Although stern in manner, he was a kind, generous friend. In accordance with the uni- versal custom Mr. Noal used liquor con- stantly, but was never known to drink to ex- coss. John Neal was married to Elizabeth Littleton. Their children are: I. Joseph; TI. Levi: III. S- --- (Mrs. Evan Taylor), of Maryland; IV. Outerbridge HI. All except Joseph are now dead. Mrs. Neal died, An- gust 13, 1813, and is buried in the family burial ground on the homestead. On March 17, 1821, Mr. Neal was married to Jane

Wright. They had seven children, all now deceased. Mrs. Jane Neal died in 1842, and is buried on the farm. Mr. Neal died at his home in Sussex county, September 19, 1842; he also is interred in the family burial ground.

Joseph Neal's educational advantages were very limited. For a short time he attended the subscription schools, then the only schools in the county. These schools, held in roughly furnished log huts and often ill-taught, were so situated as to require a walk of miles over bad roads, or through the unbroken snow. By his own efforts at home he learned to read and write, and although in one sense uneducated, has acquired a large fund of general informa- tion, and has been able to attend personally to all the details of his business. He is a diligent reader, and notwithstanding his inability to spell difficult words, can understand and pro- nonnee them at sight. While still a child, Joseph Neal began to work on his father's farm, where he remained until he was twenty- two years old; he then left home to earn his own living, without money or even a second suit of clothes. Mr. Neal worked as a farm laborer for his cousin until 1828, when he was employed by John Tennent to take charge of a farm of 1,400 acres. In 1832 he removed to Dorchester county, Md., where he spent two years, farming on rented land. While he was living in Dorchester county, his father died, and Mr. Neal, finding that the homestead was to be sold, returned to Sussex county, Del., and purchased 330 arres of it. At the time of the sale, he had not one cent of the price demanded, but he was not without friends who advanced the money. Success crowned his efforts, and by his enterprise and industry he was enabled, in a few years, to repay the whole. For fifty-six years Mr. Neal has been cultivating the land on which he spent his boyhood. Ile has made many improvements, among them the planting of large orchards of choice fruit trees. Hle was one of the first men in the district to turn his attention to this branch of agriculture, and has met with well- merited success. In 1889 he retired from ac- tive farm life, but still oversees his large busi- ness interests. Mr. Neal was a Federalist and afterwards, although a professed Whig, voted for good candidates on the Democratic ticket, as when he gave his support to Governor Ross who was elected by the Democracy; but when Mr. Ress was a candidate for re-election, Mr.

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Neal voted for his opponent, the Whig can- didate. In 1854, being asked to join the Know Nothing party, Mr. Neal declined, and, in 1836, finally identified himself with the Democracy. He east his first ballot in 1826, and has attended seventeen presidential elec- tions; although actively interested in politics he has never sought or accepted office, believ- ing that his lack of education debars him from serving in any official capacity. Mr. Neal is one of the best-known as well as the oldest cit- izen of Sussex county. He has always fol- lowed the Golden Rule, paid his just debts, and lived an honorable, upright life. He is known as "honest Joe Neal," a name indica- tive of the position which he holds in the com- munity. Mr. Neal has seen many changes sweep over the county. In his boyhood the portions of Sussex county, now sweet with the blossoming and fruiting of orchards, and golden with abundant harvests, were but a tangled wilderness. Not a pine tree was to be seen in Seaford hundred where he now owns a large tract of this valuable timber, and where there is more than one pine forest. IIe is strong and active in mind as well as in body and his memory is singularly clear and accur- ate. When the war of 1812 broke out, Mr. Neal was a lad of seven, and the events of that time made a lasting impression upon his mind. Ile is an interesting talker, and delights in telling anecdotes of "those good old times" to the many friends who frequent hi- hospit- able home. From his boyhood Mr. Neal has toiled early and late, and aseribes his long life and unimpaired faculties to his regular, tem- perate habits.

Joseph Neal was married, in Dorchester county, Md., April 1, 1880, to Nancy John- son. Their children are: I. William, born January 11, 1831, died March 10, 1858, in- terred in the burial ground on the homestead; II. Elizabeth, of Seaford hundred, born May 16, 1833, married first to William Asbury Allen, who died leaving four children, i. Pricely, ii. James E., iii. William, iv. Nancy, now Mrs. Jesse Morris, married first to Sam- uel Ward, who died leaving three children, i. Frank, ii. John, iii. Emma, died in youth. Mrs. Nancy Neal died at the homestead, Au- gust 3, 1853, and is buried on the farm. Mr. Neal was married, in Seaford hundred, Sus- sex county, March 20, 1534, to Mary Ann, daughter of William Davis, and widow of

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Biographical and genealogical history of the state of Delaware, Vol. II, Part 32

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